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THE  SPELL  OF  SWITZERLAND 


THE   SPELL   SERIES 

*?* 

Each  volume  with  many  illustrations  from  original 
drawings  or  special  photographs.  Octavo,  with 
decorative  cover,  gill  top,    boxed. 

Per  ■volume  $2.50  net,  postpaid  $2.70 

«^» 

THE   SPELL   OF   ITALY 
By  Caroline  cAtwater  eTWason 

THE    SPELL    OF   FRANCE 
By  Caroline  cutwater  c7Wason 

THE    SPELL   OF   ENGLAND 
By  Julia  de  W.   cAddison 

THE   SPELL   OF   HOLLAND 
By  Burton  E.  Stevenson 

THE    SPELL   OF   SWITZERLAND 
By  Nathan  Haskell  Dole 

THE  SPELL  OF  THE  ITALIAN  LAKES 
By  William  D.  cTUcCrackan 

In  Preparation 

THE    SPELL   OF    THE   RHINE 

By  Frank  Rjoy  Fraprie 

L.  C.  PAGE    &    COMPANY 

53  BEACON  STREET,  BOSTON,  MASS. 


Evening  ■near  Saas-t 

age  369] 


qge  Spell  gf 
Switzerland 


Nathan  Haskell  Dole 


ILLUSTR-ATED 

from  photographs  and  original  paintings  by 

Woldemar  Tfiiter 


Copyright,  1913,  by 

L.  C.   Pagk  &  Company 

(incorporated) 

Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London 

All  rights  reserved 


First  Impression,  October,  1913 


THE  COLONIAL  PRESS 
C.  H.  SIMONDS  &  CO.,  BOSTON,  TJ.  S.  A. 


PREFACE 


The  present  book  is  cast  in  the  guise  of  fic- 
tion. The  vague  and  flitting  forms  of  my  niece 
and  her  three  children  are  wholly  figments  of 
the  imagination.  No  such  person  as  "  Will 
Allerton  "  enters  my  doorway.  The  "  Moto," 
which  does  such  magical  service  in  transporting 
"  Emile  "  and  his  admirers  from  place  to  place 
is  as  unreal  as  Solomon's  Carpet. 

After  Lord  Sheffield  and  his  family  had 
started  back  from  a  visit  to  Gibbon  at  Lau- 
sanne, his  daughter,  Maria  T.  Holroyd,  wrote 
the  historian:  "  I  do  not  know  what  strange 
charm  there  is  in  Switzerland  that  makes  every- 
body desirous  of  returning  there."  It  is  the 
aim  of  this  book  to  express  that  charm.  It 
lies  not  merely  in  heaped-up  masses  of  moun- 
tains, in  wonderfully  beautiful  lakes,  in  mys- 
terious glaciers,  in  rainbow-adorned  waterfalls ; 
it  is  largely  due  to  the  association  with  human 
beings. 

The  spell  of  Switzerland  can  be  best  ex- 
pressed not  in  the  limited  observations  of  a 
single  person  but  rather  by  a  concensus  of  de- 
scriptions.   The  casual  traveller  plans,  perhaps, 


vi  Preface 

to  ascend  the  Matterhorn  or  Mount  Pilatus; 
but  day  after  day  may  prove  unpropitious ; 
clouds  and  storms  are  the  enemy  of  vision. 
One  must  therefore  take  the  word  of  those  more 
fortunate.  Poets  and  other  keen-eyed  observ- 
ers help  to  intensify  the  spell.  These  few  words 
will  explain  the  author's  plan.  It  is  purposely 
desultory ;  it  is  not  meant  for  a  guide-book ;  it 
is  not  intended  to  be  taken  as  a  perfectly  bal- 
anced treatise  covering  the  history  in  part  or 
in  whole  of  the  twenty-four  cantons;  it  has 
biographical  episodes  but  they  are  merely  hints 
at  the  richness  of  possibilities,  and  if  Gibbon 
and  Tissot  and  Rousseau  stand  forth  promi- 
nently, it  is  not  because  Voltaire,  Juste  Olivier, 
Hebel,  Topfer,  Amiel,  Frau  Spyri,  and  a  dozen 
others  are  not  just  as  worthy  of  selection.  One 
might  write  a  quarto  volume  on  the  charms  of 
the  Lake  of  Constance  or  the  Lake  of  Zurich 
or  the  Lake  of  Lucerne.  Scores  of  castles  teem 
with  historic  and  romantic  associations.  It  is 
all  a  matter  of  selection,  a  matter  of  taste.  It 
is  not  for  the  author  to  claim  that  he  has  suc- 
ceeded in  conveying  his  ideas,  but  whatever 
effect  his  work  may  produce  on  the  reader,  he, 
himself,  may,  without  boasting,  claim  that  he 
is  completely  under  the  spell  of  Switzerland. 
Nathan  Haskell  Dole. 
Boston,  October  1,  1913. 


CONTENTS 


IAPTBR 

PAGE 

Preface      . 

v 

I. 

Uncle  and  Niece    . 

1 

II. 

Just  a  Common  Voyage 

8 

III. 

A  Roundabout  Tour 

25 

IV. 

37 

V. 

Gibbon  at  Lausanne 

74 

VI. 

Around  the  Lake  Leman 

101 

VII. 

A  Digression  at  Chillon 

122 

VIII. 

Lord  Byron  and  the  Lake 

136 

IX. 

A  Princess  and  the  Spell  of  the 

Laki 

:     149 

X. 

The  Alps  and  the  Jura 

160 

XI. 

The  Southern  Shore     . 

173 

XII. 

Geneva 

197 

XIII. 

Sunrise  and  Rousseau  . 

216 

XIV. 

The  City  of  Rousseau  and  Calvin 

232 

XV. 

269 

XVI. 

The  Ascent  of  the  Dole 

290 

XVII. 

A  Former  Worker  of  Spells     . 

311 

KYIII. 

322 

XIX. 

350 

XX. 

The  Vale  of  Chamondc 

.     364 

XXI. 

Hannibal  in  Switzerland    . 

.     382 

XXII. 

400 

vii 

viii  Contents 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXIII.  At  Zurich  with  the  Professor         .       .  414 

XXIV.  On  the  Shores  of  Lake  Lucerne     .       .  445 
XXV.    Lausanne  Again 454 

Bibliography 469 

Index 471 


LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 


Evening  near  Saas  -  Fee  (in  full  colour)   (see  page 

369) Frontispiece 

MAP  OF  SWITZERLAND facing  1 

In  the  Engadine  Valley  (in  full  colour)     ...  8 

The  Alpenglow  on  the  Jungfrau      .       .       .       .  11 

A  Winterthur  Stove 39 

A  Swiss  Chateau 52 

The  Cathedral,  Lausanne 60 

Lausanne  and  the  Savoy  Mountains       .       .       .  78 

La  Dent  du  Midi  from  Montreux    ....  106 

Lake  Leman  at  Vevey 120 

The  Castle  of  Chillon 124 

The  Prison  of  Bonivard  in  the  Castle  of  Chillon  130 

Mont  Blanc 141 

The  Castle  of  Chatelard  and  the  Savoy  Alps   .  155 

Alpine  Herdsmen 164 

The  Living-Room  of  an  Alpine  Castle  (in  full  colour)  173 

The  Waterfront  and  the  Ile  Rousseau,  Geneva  197 

Swiss  Mediaeval  Carvings 210 

Les  Grandes  Jorasses 216 

Across  Lake  Leman 230 

Fribourg 243 

Barks  on  Lake  Leman 262 

Along  the  Shore  of  Lake  Leman      ....  267 


List  of  Illustrations 


PAGE 

The  Savoy  Alps  from  the  North  Shore  of  Lake 

Leman 297 

"  All  the  mighty  valleys  of  the  Alps  were  filling 

with  mists  " 308 

Mont  Blanc  and  the  Valley  of  Chamonix    .       .  327 

The  Valley  of  the  RhOne  at  Martigny        .       .  342 

Pissevache  Cascade 348 

Le  Mont  Cervin 354 

Monte  Rosa       .........  359 

The  Needle  of  the  Matterhorn       ....  362 

On  the  Glacier 366 

"  Jagged  needles  and  pinnacles  of  cruel  rock  "  .  375 

"  The  snow  was  deep  on  the  mountains  "      .       .  392 

The  Hospice  of  the  Great  St.  Bernard        .       .  396 

The  Castle  of  Neuchatel 402 

An  Old  Street  in  Bern 410 

A  Rainy  Day  in  Zurich 415 

The  Urner  Loch 424 

The  Kinzig  Pass 426 

The  Klontalersee 428 

The  Falls  of  the  Rhine 435 

The  Fraumunster 436 

The  Quaint  Statue  of  Charlemagne       .       .       .  438 

Rapperswyl 442 

Sertiz  Dorfli  (in  full  colour) 444 

Lucerne  and  Mount  Pilatus 448 

On  the  Lake  of  Lucerne 450 

"  The  music  of  the  cows'  bells  "  454 

The  Staubbach 456 

A  Street  in  Thun 460 

Chateau  Voltaire,  Ferney 464 

Wrestling  at  a  Village  Festival     ....  467 


I 


T 


r 


THE  SPELL 
OF  SWITZERLAND 


CHAPTEB    I 

UNCLE   AND    NIECE 

MUST  confess,  I  did  not  approve  of 
my  niece  and  her  husband's  plan  of 
expatriating  themselves  for  the  sake 
of  giving  their  only  son  and  heir,  and 
their  twin  girls,  a  correct  accent  in  speaking 
French.  But  I  had  the  grace  to  hold  my 
tongne.  I  wonder  if  my  wife  would  have  been 
equally  discreet  —  supposing  I  possessed  such 
a  helpmeet.  Probably  she  would  not  have  done 
so,  even  if  I  had;  and  probably  also  I  should 
not,  if  she  had.  For  the  very  fact  of  my  having 
a  wife  would  prove  that  I  should  be  different 
from  what  I  am. 

There  is  an  implication  in  this  slight  exhibi- 
tion of  boastfulness ;  but  it  is  not  subtle.    Any 

1 


The  Spell  of  Switzerland 


one  would  see  it  instantly  —  namely,  that  I  am 
a  bachelor.  A  bachelor  uncle  whose  niece  takes 
it  into  her  head  to  marry  and  raise  a  family, 
is  as  deeply  bereaved  as  he  would  be  were  he 
her  father.  More  so,  indeed,  for  a  father  has 
his  wife  left  to  him.  .  .  . 

The  relationship  between  uncle  and  niece 
has  never  been  sufficiently  celebrated  in  poetry. 
It  deserves  to  be  sung.  Besides  the  high,  noble 
friendship  which  it  implies,  there  is  also  about 
it  a  touch  of  almost  lover-like  sentiment.  The 
right-hearted  uncle  loves  to  lavish  all  kinds  of 
luxuries  on  his  niece  and  feels  sufficiently  re- 
paid by  the  look  of  frank  affection  in  her  eyes, 
the  unabashed  kiss  which  is  the  envy  of  young 
men  who  happen  to  witness  it. 

Here  are  the  facts  in  my  case.  After  my 
brother's  wife  died,  he  urged  me  to  make  my 
home  at  his  house.  I  suppose  I  might  have 
done  so  long  before ;  but  I  had  been  afraid  of 
my  sister-in-law.  She  was  a  tall  imperious 
woman ;  she  did  not  approve  of  me  at  all.  She 
could  not  see  my  jokes,  or,  if  she  did,  she 
frowned  on  them.  I  suppose  she  thought  me 
frivolous.  She  was  one  of  those  women  who 
make  you  appear  at  your  worst.  She  was  sin- 
cere and  genuine  and  good,  but  our  wireless 
apparatus  was  not  tuned  in  harmony.    As  long 


Uncle  and  Niece 


as  she  was  at  the  helm  of  my  brother's  estab- 
lishment I  preferred  to  enjoy  less  comfortable 
quarters  elsewhere. 

But  when,  as  the  Wordsworth  line  has  it, 
"  Euth  was  left  half  desolate  "  (though  her 
father  did  not  "  take  another  mate  "),  and  they 
showed  me  how  delightfully  I  could  dispose  of 
my  library  and  have  an  open  fire  on  cold  win- 
ter evenings,  and  what  a  perfect  position  was, 
as  it  were,  destined  for  my  baby  grand  —  for 
I  am  devoted  to  music  —  en  amateur,  of  course, 
—  I  yielded,  and  for  ten  happy  years,  saw  Euth 
grow  from  a  young  girl  into  the  woman  ' '  nobly 
planned,  to  warn,  to  comfort  and  command." 

Command?    What  woman  does  not? 

At  my  advice  she  took  up  the  violin,  and  I 
shall  never  forget  the  hours  and  hours  when 
we  practised  and  really  played  mighty  well  — 
if  I  do  say  it,  who  shouldn't  —  through  the 
whole  range  of  duets,  beginning  with  simple 
pieces  for  her  immature  fingers  and  ending 
with  the  strange  and  sometimes  —  to  me  —  in- 
comprehensible fantaisies  of  the  super-modern- 
ists. 

But  all  these  simple  home-joys  came  to  their 
inevitable  end.  The  right  man  appeared  and 
did  as  the  right  men  always  have  done  and  will 
do.     Uncles  are  as  prone  to  jealousy  as  any 


The  Spell  of  Switzerland 


other  class  of  bipeds ;  but  here  again  the  philos- 
ophy of  life  which  I  trust  I  have  made  evident 
I  cherish,  and  which,  as  one  good  turn  deserves 
another,  cherishes  me,  enabled  me  to  preserve 
a  front  of  discreet  neutrality.  I  may  have  been 
over-zealous  to  look  up  the  young  man's  rec- 
ord; but  there  was  nothing  to  which  the  most 
scrupulous  could  take  exception.  He  was  a 
clean,  straight,  manly  youth  with  excellent 
prospects. 

Will  Allerton  lived  in  Chicago;  that  was  a 
second  count  against  him,  but  equally  futile  as 
a  valid  argument  for  dissuasion.  After  their 
wedding-journey,  they  went  to  a  delightful 
little  house  in  East  Elm  Street  in  Chicago. 
Business  called  me  to  that  city  two  or  three 
times,  and  I  visited  them.  So  many  of  my 
friends  had  been  unhappily  married  that  I  was 
more  or  less  pessimistic  about  that  kind  of  life- 
partnership;  but  my  niece's  happy  home  was 
an  excellent  cure  for  my  bachelor  cynicism. 
The  coming  of  their  first  child,  —  they  did  me 
the  honour  of  making  me  his  godfather,  though 
I  do  not  much  believe  in  such  formalities ;  and 
they  also  named  him  for  me,  —  the  coming  of 
this  little  mortal  made  no  change  other  than  a 
decided  increase  in  the  bliss  of  that  loving 
home. 


Uncle  and  Niece 


When  little  Lawrence  was  four  years  old, 
and  the  twins  were  two,  his  grandfather  died 
suddenly.  It  was  a  tremendous  change  to  have 
my  good  brother  removed  from  my  side.  My 
niece  and  her  husband  came  on  from  Chicago. 
They  were  pathetically  solicitous  for  my  wel- 
fare. Most  insistently  they  urged  me  to  come 
and  live  with  them.  There  was  plenty  of  room 
in  the  house,  they  said. 

I  was  greatly  touched  by  their  generous 
kindness,  but  I  set  my  face  sternly  against  any 
uprooting  of  the  sort.  I  said  I  much  preferred 
to  stay  on  where  I  was.  I  had  consulted  with 
my  Lares  and  Penates  and  found  that  they  op- 
posed any  such  boaleversement.  The  old 
housekeeper  who  had  looked  after  our  com- 
fort was  still  capable  of  doing  all  that  was 
necessary  for  me.  My  wants  were  few ;  I  lived 
the  simple  life  and  its  cares  and  pleasures 
amply  satisfied  my  ambition.  I  had  a  small 
circle  of  congenial  friends,  particularly  among 
my  books.  I  did  not  know  what  it  meant  to  be 
lonely.  If  I  needed  company,  I  could  always 
fortify  myself  with  the  presence  of  college 
classmates.  I  had  organized  a  quartet  of  fairly 
capable  musicians  who  came  once  or  twice  a 
week  to  play  chamber-music  with  me,  and  for 
me.    I  had  several  proteges  studying  music  at 


The  Spell  of  Switzerland 


the  conservatory  and  my  Sunday  afternoon 
musicales  were  a  factor  in  my  satisfaction.  So 
it  was  arranged  that  I  should  make  no  radical 
change  for  the  present,  at  least.  I  would  spend 
my  vacations  with  them  at  the  seashore,  where 
we  had  a  comfortable  little  datcha,  and  at  least 
once  during  the  winter  I  would  make  them  a 
visit  in  Chicago. 

Thus  passed  two  more  years.  Then  out  of 
a  clear  sky  came  the  report  that  my  niece  and 
her  husband  were  going  to  take  their  young 
hopeful  and  his  sisters  to  Switzerland,  so  that 
he  might  learn  to  speak  French  with  a  perfect 
accent !  Will  had  a  rich  old  aunt  —  a  queer, 
misanthropic  personage,  who  lived  the  life  of  a 
hermit.  She,  too,  took  the  long  journey  into 
the  Unknown  and,  as  she  could  not  carry  her 
possessions  with  her,  they  fell  to  her  nephew. 

I  saw  them  off,  and  the  last  word  my  niece 
said,  as  we  parted  tenderly,  was,  "  You  must 
run  over  and  make  us  a  visit." 

I  shook  my  head : ' '  I  am  afflicted  with  a  fatal 
illness.    I  am  afraid  of  the  voyage." 

Her  sweet  face  expressed  such  concern  that 
I  quickly  added:  "It  is  nothing  serious;  but 
there  is  no  hope  for  it  —  it  is  only  old  age." 

"  That's  just  like  you,"  she  exclaimed, 
"  and  I  know  you  do  not  dread  the  ocean." 


Uncle  and  Niece 


"  Well,  we'll  see,"  I  tergiversated.  "  I 
don't  believe  you'll  stay.  You'll  miss  all  the 
American  conveniences  and  you  11  get  so  tired 
of  hearing  nothing  but  French." 

"  Nonsense!  "  she  exclaimed.  "  Of  course 
we  shall  stay,  and  of  course  you'll  come." 


CHAPTER    II 

JUST   A    COMMON   VOYAGE 

T  was  inevitable.  I,  who  had  always 
jestingly  compared  myself  to  a 
brachypod,  fastened  by  Fate  to  my 
native  reef,  and  getting  contact  with 
visitors  from  abroad  only  as  they  were  brought 
by  tides  and  currents,  began  to  feel  the  irre- 
sistible impulse  to  grow  wings  and  fly  away. 
How  could  I  detach  my  clinging  tentacles? 

Every  letter  from  Lausanne,  where  my  dear 
ones  had  established  themselves,  urged  me  to 
"  run  over  "  and  make  them  a  long  visit.  My 
room  was  waiting  for  me.  They  depicted  the 
view  from  its  windows;  splendid  sweeps  of 
mountains,  snow-clad,  tinged  rose-flesh  tints  by 
the  marvellous,  magical  kiss  of  the  hidden  sun ; 
the  lake  glittering  in  the  breeze,  or  dazzlingly 
azure  in  the'  afternoon  calm;  the  desk;  the 
comfortable,  old,  carved  bedstead;  the  quaint, 
tiled  stove  which  any  museum  would  be  glad  to 
possess.    There  were  excursions  on  foot  or  by 

8 


///  the  ne  Valley 

nirje  444] 


Just  a  Common  Voyage  9 

automobile;  mountains  to  climb;  the  Dolo- 
mites to  visit.  Each  time  new  drawings,  new 
seductions.  With  each  week's  mail  I  felt  the 
insidious,  impalpable  lure. 

I  have  many  friends  who  put  faith  in  astrol- 
ogy. One  of  my  acquaintances  is  making  a 
large  income  from  constructing  horoscopes. 
She  is  sincere;  she  has  a  real  faith.  She  acts 
on  the  hypothesis  that  from  even  the  most  dis- 
tant of  the  planets  radiate  baleful  or  beneficent 
influences  which  move  those  mortals  who  are, 
as  it  were,  keyed  or  tuned  to  them.  Saturn, 
whose  density  is  less  than  alcohol,  a  billion 
miles  away;  Neptune,  almost  three  billion 
miles  away,  infinitesimal  specks  in  the  ocean  of 
space,  make  men  and  women  happy  or  miser- 
able. How  much  more  then  is  it  possible  that 
the  heaped-up  masses  of  mighty  mountains 
may  work  their  spell  on  men  half-way  around 
this  globe  of  ours?  I  began  to  be  conscious  of 
the  Spell  of  Switzerland. 

A  half-crazy  friend  of  mine,  a  painter,  who 
loved  mountains  and  depicted  them  on  his 
canvases,  once  broached  a  theory  of  his,  as 
we  stood  on  top  of  Mount  Adams :  — 

"  The  time  will  come,,,  he  said  with  the  con- 
viction of  a  prophet,  "  when  we  shall  be  able  to 
take  advantage  of  the  electric  current  flowing 


10  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

from  this  mountain-mass  to  Mount  Washing- 
ton, yonder,  and  commit  ourselves  safely  and 
boldly  to  its  control.  Then  we  shall  be  able  to 
practise  levitation.  It  will  be  perfectly  easy, 
perfectly  feasible  to  leap  from  one  peak  to  an- 
other." 

I  am  sure  I  felt  stirring  within  me  the  im- 
pulse to  leap  into  the  air  with  the  certainty  that 
I  should  land  on  top  of  the  Jungf  rau  or  of  Mont 
Blanc.  It  was  a  cumulative  attraction.  Every 
day  it  grew  more  intense.  I  got  from  the 
library  every  book  I  could  find  about  Switzer- 
land. I  soaked  myself  in  Swiss  history.  I  be- 
gan to  know  Switzerland  as  familiarly  as  if  I 
had  already  been  there. 

Then  came  the  decisive  letter.  My  niece  ab- 
solutely took  it  for  granted  that  I  was  coming. 
She  said :  ' '  We  will  meet  you  at  Cherbourg 
with  the  motor.    Cable." 

This  time  I  was  obedient.  I  wound  up  my 
affairs  for  an  indefinite  absence. 

I  took  passage  on  a  slow  steamer,  for  I  was 
in  no  hurry,  and  I  wanted  to  have  time  enough 
to  finish  some  more  reading.  I  wanted  to  know 
Switzerland  before  I  actually  met  her.  I  knew 
that  I  was  destined  to  love  her. 

Theoretically  one  may  understand  psychol- 
ogy, even  the  psychology  of  woman  —  may,  I 


Just  a  Common  Voyage  11 

say,  not  insisting  too  categorically  upon  this 
point,  especially  since  the  recent  discovery  that 
woman  has,  to  her  advantage  over  man,  a  su- 
perfluous and  accessory  chromosome  to  every 
cell  in  her  dear  body  —  one  may  know  anatomy 
and  physiology;  but,  when  one  falls  in  love 
with  her,  all  this  knowledge  is  as  nought;  she 
becomes,  in  the  words  of  Heine,  die  eine,  die 
feine,  die  reine.  In  this  spirit,  I  studied  the 
geology  of  Switzerland,  realizing  in  advance 
that,  as  soon  as  I  saw  the  Alpenglow  on  the 
peak  of  the  Wetterhorn  or  of  Die  Jungfrau,  I 
should  not  care  a  snap  of  my  finger  for  the 
scientific  constitution  of  the  vast  rock-masses, 
or  for  the  theories  that  explain  how  they  are 
doubled  over  on  themselves  and  piled  up  like 
the  folds  of  a  rubber  blanket. 

On  the  first  day  out,  as  I  sat  on  the  deck  as 
far  forward  as  possible,  I  became  in  imagina- 
tion the  prehistoric  ancestor  of  the  frigate- 
bird,  spreading  my  broad  wings,  tireless,  above 
the  waste  of  that  Jurassic  Sea  which,  only  a 
brief  geologic  age  ago,  swept  above  what  is 
now  the  highest  land  of  Europe,  with  its  south- 
most  boundary  far  away  in  Africa,  By  the 
same  power  of  the  imagination  I  saw  mighty 
islands  emerge  from  the  face  of  those  raging 
waters.     To  the  imagination  a  thousand  or  a 


12  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

million  years  is  but  as  a  wink;  it  can  see  in 
the  corrugated  skin  of  a  parched  apple  all  the 
vast  cataclysms  of  a  continent.  Through  the 
ages  these  seas  deposited  their  strata  to  be 
pressed  into  rock;  those  strata  were  upheaved 
and,  as  they  became  dry  land,  the  torrential 
rains,  the  mighty  rivers,  gnawed  them  away 
and  spread  them  out  over  the  central  plain  of 
what  is  now  Switzerland,  and  filled  the  valleys 
of  the  Rhine  and  the  Rhone  and  the  Reuss,  the 
Po  and  the  Inn  and  the  Danube,  making  the 
plains  of  Lombardy  and  Germany,  of  Belgium, 
of  Holland  and  southeastern  France.  Almost 
three  solid  miles,  it  is  estimated,  have  been 
eroded  and  carried  away  from  the  mountain- 
tops  —  sedimentary  rocks  and  crystalline 
schists  and  even  the  tough  granite. 

As  Sir  John  Lubbock  well  says,  ' '  true  moun- 
tain ranges,  that  is  to  say,  the  elevated  portions 
of  the  earth's  surface,  are  the  continents  them- 
selves, on  which  most  mountain-chains  are 
mere  wrinkles."  Under  enormous  pressure, 
and  as  the  interior  of  the  earth  gradually 
cooled  and  shrank,  the  crust  remaining  at  the 
same  temperature,  through  the  force  of  grav- 
ity great  plaques  of  the  crust  sank  in  and  per- 
haps, as  in  the  case  of  mesas,  left  great  moun- 
tain-masses, which  the  streams  and  rivers  im- 


Just  a  Common  Voyage  13 

mediately  began  to  carve  into  secondary  hills 
and  valleys.  Sometimes  these  mountain- 
masses  resisted  pressure;  "  these,"  says  Sir 
John,  "  form  buttresses,  as  it  were,  against 
which  surrounding  areas  have  been  pressed  by 
later  movements.  Such  areas  have  been  named 
by  Suess  '  Horsts,'  a  term  which  it  may  be  use- 
ful to  adopt,  as  we  have  no  English  equivalent. 
In  some  cases  where  compressed  rocks  have 
encountered  the  resistance  of  such  a  '  Horst,' 
as  in  the  northwest  of  Scotland  and  in  Switzer- 
land, they  have  been  thrown  into  the  most  ex- 
traordinary folds,  and  even  thrust  over  one 
another  for  several  miles." 

Sir  John,  whose  book,  "  The  Scenery  of 
Switzerland,"  I  had  with  me  as  I  sat  in  my 
cozy  nook  in  the  bow,  asserts  boldly  that  Swit- 
zerland was  not  formed,  as  people  used  to 
think,  by  upheaving  forces  acting  vertically 
from  below.  "  The  Alps,"  he  says,  "  have 
been  thrown  into  folds  by  lateral  pressure, 
giving  every  gradation  from  the  simple  un- 
dulations of  the  Jura  to  the  complicated  folds 
of  the  Alps." 

Thus  the  strata  between  Bale  and  Milan,  a 
distance  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles, 
would,  if  horizontal,  occupy  two  hundred  miles. 
In  some  cases  the  most  ancient  portions  are 


14  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

thrown  up  over  more  recent  ones.  The  higher 
the  mountain  is,  however,  the  more  likely  it  is 
to  be  young;  whereas  low  ranges  are  like  the 
worn-out  teeth  of  some  ancient  dame.  "  The 
hills  of  Wales,"  says  Sir  John,  "  though  com- 
paratively so  small,  are  venerable  from  their 
immense  antiquity,  being  far  older,  for  in- 
stance, than  the  Vosges  themselves,  which,  how- 
ever, were  in  existence  while  the  strata  now 
forming  the  Alps  were  still  being  deposited  at 
the  bottom  of  the  ocean.  But  though  the  Alps 
are  from  this  point  of  view  so  recent,  it  is 
probable  that  the  amount  which  has  been  re- 
moved is  almost  as  great  as  that  which  still 
remains.  They  will,  however,  if  no  fresh  ele- 
vation takes  place,  be  still  further  reduced,  un- 
til nothing  but  the  mere  stumps  remain." 

Now  I  read  geology  as  if  I  understood  all 
about  it ;  but,  five  minutes  after  I  have  put  the 
book  down,  I  get  the  ages  inextricably  mixed; 
Eocene  and  Pleiocene  and  pre-Carboniferous 
and  Cambrian  and  Silurian  are  all  one  to  me. 
Jurassic  sounds  as  if  it  were  an  acid  and  I  can 
not  possibly  remember  in  which  era  fossils 
lived  and  impressed  themselves  into  the  soft 
clay  like  seals  on  wax. 

It  is  tremendously  interesting.  When  I  am 
reading  about  those  old  days,  I  have  no  diffi- 


Just  a  Common  Voyage  15 

culty  in  picturing  before  my  mental  vision  a 
great  jungle  filled  with  eohippuses  and  me- 
gatheriums and  ichthyosauruses  and  other 
monstrous  creatures.  When  I  get  to  Oenin- 
gen  I  mean  to  make  a  study  of  fossils :  I  am 
told  it  has  the  richest  collection  in  the  world. 

That  night  I  dreamed  that  I  stood  on  the 
highest  peak  of  the  primitive  Alps  and  a  great 
earthquake  shook  off  colossal  blocks  of  gneiss; 
vast  rivers  went  rushing  down  the  valleys.  I 
awoke  suddenly  with  a  sort  of  involuntary  ter- 
ror. It  was  nothing  but  the  tail-end  of  a  gale 
which  tossed  the  ship  like  a  cockle-shell.  The 
rivers  were  the  streams  of  water  rushing  down 
the  deck  as  the  ship  plunged  her  nose  into  the 
smothering  spume  of  the  angry  sea.  I  slipped 
on  my  storm-coat  and,  clinging  to  the  jamb  of 
my  stateroom,  gazed  out  on  the  wild  scene. 
The  sky  was  clearing,  and  a  moon,  which  must 
have  been  in  its  second  childhood  —  it  looked 
so  slim  and  young  —  was  riding  low  in  what 
I  supposed  was  the  east;  the  morning  star 
was  darting  among  scurrying  clouds;  great 
phosphorescent  splashes  of  foam  were  flying 
high ;  the  ship  was  staggering  like  the  conven- 
tional, or  perhaps  I  should  say  unconventional, 
drunken  man.  A  splash  of  spray  in  my  face 
counselled  me  to  retire  behind  my  door,  and  I 


16  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

made  a  frantic  dash  for  my  berth,  and  slept  the 
sleep  of  the  just  the  rest  of  the  night. 

To  a  man  free  of  care,  without  any  reason 
for  worry,  in  excellent  health,  capable  of  long 
hours  of  invigorating  sleep,  an  ocean  voyage 
is  an  excellent  preparation  for  a  season  of 
sightseeing,  of  mountain-climbing,  of  new  ex- 
periences. 

I  considered  myself  quite  fortunate  to  dis- 
cover on  board  two  Swiss  gentlemen.  One  was 
a  professor  from  the  University  of  Zurich;  the 
other  was  an  electrical  engineer  from  Geneva. 
I  had  many  interesting  talks  with  them  about 
Helvetic  politics  and  history. 

Professor  Heinrich  Landoldt  was  a  tall, 
blond-haired,  middle-aged  man,  with  bright 
blue  eyes  and  a  vivid  eloquence  of  gesticulation. 
He  was  greatly  interested  in  archaeology  and 
had  been  down  to  Venezuela  to  study  the  lake 
dwellings,  still  inhabited,  on  the  shores  of  Lake 
Maracaibo.  Here,  in  our  own  day,  are  primi- 
tive tribes  living  exactly  as  lived  the  unknown 
inhabitants  of  the  Swiss  lakes,  whose  remains 
still  pique  the  curiosity  of  students.  Painters, 
like  M.  H.  Coutau,  have  drawn  upon  their 
imagination  to  depict  the  kind  of  huts  once  oc- 
cupied on  the  innumerable  piles  found,  for  in- 
stance, at  Auvergnier.    But  Dr.  Landoldt  had 


Just  a  Common  Voyage  17 

actually  seen  half-naked  savages  conducting  all 
the  affairs  of  life  on  platforms  built  out  over 
the  shallow  waters  of  their  lake.  Their  pottery, 
their  ornaments,  their  weapons,  their  weavings 
of  coarse  cloth,  belong  to  the  same  relative 
age,  which,  in  Switzerland,  antedated  history. 
Probably  Venice  began  in  the  same  way;  not 
without  reason  did  the  discoverer,  Alonzo  de 
Ojeda,  in  1499,  call  the  region  of  Lake  Mara- 
caibo  Venezuela  —  Little  Venice. 

The  same  conditions  bring  about  the  same 
results  since  human  nature  is  everywhere  the 
same.  One  need  not  follow  the  worthy  Bras- 
seur  de  Bourbourg  and  try  to  make  out  that  the 
Aztecs  of  Mexico  were  the  same  as  the  ancient 
Egyptians  simply  because  they  built  pyramids 
and  laid  out  their  towns  in  the  same  hiero- 
glyphic way. 

The  presence  of  enemies,  and  the  abundance 
of  growing  timber  along  the  shores,  sufficed  to 
suggest  the  plan  of  sinking  piles  into  the  mud 
and  covering  them  over  with  a  flooring  on  which 
to  construct  the  thatched  hovels.  The  danger 
of  fire  must  have  been  a  perpetual  nightmare 
to  these  primitive  peoples,  the  abundance  of 
water  right  at  hand  only  being  a  mockery  to 
them.  The  unremitting,  patient  energy  of  those 
savages,  whether  then  or  now,  in  working  with 


18  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

stone  implements,  fills  one  with  admiration. 
Professor  Landoldt  had  many  specimens  which 
he  intended  to  compare  with  the  workmanship 
of  the  lacustrians  of  Neuchatel,  Bienne  and 
Pfaffikersee,  antedating  his  by  thousands  of 
years. 

He  has  invited  me  to  make  him  a  visit  in 
Zurich  and  I  mean  to  do  so.  He  tells  me  that 
the  museum  there  is  exceedingly  rich  in  relics 
of  prehistoric  peoples.  Perhaps  we  can  go  to- 
gether and  pay  our  respects  to  the  shades  of 
the  lake-dwellers.  I  always  like  to  pay  these 
delicate  attentions  to  the  departed.  So  I  would 
gladly  burn  some  incense  to  Etruscan  or  Kelt, 
whoever  first  ventured  out  into  the  placid 
waters  of  the  lake  —  any  lake,  it  matters  not 
which  —  there  are  dozens  of  them  —  and  pray 
for  the  repose  of  their  souls;  they  must  have 
had  souls  and  who  knows,  possibly  some  such 
pious  act  might  give  pleasure  to  them,  if  per- 
chance they  are  cognizant  of  things  terrestrial. 

My  electrical  friend,  M.  Pierre  Criant,  was 
also  very  polite  and,  when  he  learned  that  I 
was  bound  for  Switzerland  to  spend  some 
months — Heaven  alone  knows  how  many  — 
he  urged  me  to  look  him  up,  whenever  I  should 
reach  Geneva.  He  would  be  glad  to  show  me 
the  great  plans  that  were  formulating  for  util- 


Just  a  Common  Voyage  19 

izing  the  tremendous  energy  of  the  Rhone. 
This  was  particularly  alluring  to  my  imagina- 
tion for  I  have  a  high  respect  for  electrical 
energy.  M.  Criant  seemed  to  carry  it  around 
with  him  in  his  compact,  muscular  form. 

We  three  happened  to  be  together  one  morn- 
ing and  I  had  the  curiosity  to  ask  them,  as  in- 
telligent men,  what  they  thought  of  the  ' '  initia- 
tive and  referendum,"  which  I  understood  was 
a  characteristic  Swiss  institution,  and  which  a 
good  many  Americans  believed  ought  to  be  in- 
troduced into  our  American  system  of  conduct- 
ing affairs,  as  being  more  truly  democratic 
than  entrusting  the  settlement  of  great  ques- 
tions to  our  Representatives  in  Congress  or  in 
Legislature  assembled.  I  remarked  that  some 
good  Americans  looked  to  it  as  a  cure  for  all 
existing  political  evils.  "We  adopted  the  Aus- 
tralian ballot  and  it  immediately  worked  like  a 
charm;  undoubtedly  its  success  prepared  the 
way  for  receiving  with  greater  alacrity  a  nov- 
elty which  promised  to  be  a  universal  panacea. 
"  How  does  it  really  work  in  Switzerland?  " 
I  demanded. 

1 '  In  our  country, ' '  replied  M.  Criant, ( '  a  cer- 
tain" number  of  persons  have  the  right  to  re- 
quire the  legislature  to  consider  any  given 
question  and  to  formulate  a  bill  concerning  it ; 


20  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

this  must  be  submitted  to  the  whole  people;  it 
is  called  the  indirect  initiative.  They  may  also 
draft  their  own  bill  and  have  this  submitted  to 
the  whole  people.  This  is  of  course  the  direct 
initiative.  Some  laws  cannot  become  enforce- 
able without  receiving  the  popular  sanction. 
This  is  called  the  compulsory  referendum. 
Other  bills  are  submitted  to  the  people  only 
when  the  petition  of  a  certain  number  of  citi- 
zens demand  it.  This  is  the  optional  referen- 
dum. This  right  may  apply  to  the  whole  coun- 
try, or  to  a  Canton,  or  only  to  a  municipality: 
the  principle  is  everywhere  the  same.  Suppose 
an  amendment  to  the  Federal  Constitution  is 
desired.  At  least  fifty  thousand  voters  must  ex- 
press their  desire;  then  the  question  is  sub- 
mitted to  all  the  people.  Again,  if  thirty  thou- 
sand voters,  or  eight  of  the  Cantons,  consider 
it  advisable  to  support  any  federal  law  or  fed- 
eral resolution,  they  must  be  submitted  to  the 
popular  vote;  but  this  demand  must  be  made 
within  three  months  after  the  Federal  Assem- 
bly has  passed  upon  them.  Of  course  this  does 
not  apply  to  special  legislation  or  to  acts  which 
are  urgent." 

"  Has  the  initiative  proved  a  working  suc- 
cess? "  I  asked. 

"  Well,"   replied   Professor  Landoldt,   "  in 


Just  a  Common  Voyage  21 

1908,  more  than  two  hundred  and  forty-one 
thousand  voters  carried  the  initiative,  proposed 
by  almost  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight  thou- 
sand signatures,  against  the  sale  of  absinthe. 
In  the  same  way,  locally,  vivisection  was  par- 
tially prohibited  in  my  Canton  in  1895.  In 
Zurich  there  was  a  strong  feeling  in  the  com- 
munity that  the  public  service  corporations  and 
the  large  moneyed  interests  had  altogether  too 
much  influence  in  the  government;  even  the 
justice  of  the  courts  was  called  in  question, 
and,  under  the  leadership  of  Karl  Biirkli,  who 
was  a  follower  of  Fourier,  the  initiative  and 
referendum  were  adopted  especially  as  a  pro- 
test against  the  high-handed  autocracy  of  such 
men  as  Alfred  Escher.  It  has  been  principally 
used  as  a  weapon  against  the  party  in  power; 
but  not  always  successfully.  Sometimes  it  has 
worked  disastrously,  as  for  instance  when,  in 
November,  the  unjust  prejudice  against  the 
Jews  was  sufficiently  strong  to  introduce  into 
the  Constitution  an  amendment  prohibiting  the 
butchering  of  cattle  according  to  the  old  Bible 
rite.  They  professed  to  believe  in  the  Bible, 
but  not  in  what  it  says !  In  this  case  the  socie- 
ties for  the  prevention  of  cruelty  to  animals 
combined  with  the  Jew-baiters.' ' 
"  A  measure  which  affects  me  personally," 


22  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

said  M.  Criant,  taking  up  the  theme,  "  but 
which  is  really  in  the  line  of  progress,  was 
passed  in  1908,  when  by  an  overwhelming  ma- 
jority —  some  three  hundred  and  five  thousand 
against  about  fifty-six  thousand  —  the  Federal 
Government  took  over  from  the  individual 
cantons  the  right  to  legislate  concerning  the 
water  resources  when  any  national  interest 
might  be  at  stake.  There  are  such  tremendous 
hydraulic  possibilities  in  Switzerland  that  it 
would  be  a  national  misfortune  to  have  them 
controlled  by  local  or  by  private  corporations. " 

"  We  have  the  same  problem  in  America," 
I  remarked.  "  One  of  the  greatest  and  most 
insidious  dangers  threatening  our  people  is  the 
"Water  Trust,  (which  is  already  strongly  in- 
trenched behind  special  privileges  and  pro- 
tected by  enormous  moneyed  interests.  I  be- 
lieve the  people  ought  to  control  the  natural 
monopolies." 

"  So  do  I,"  exclaimed  Professor  Landoldt 
fervently.  And  he  went  on:  "  We  have  re- 
cently stood  fast  by  those  principles  by  taking 
over  the  railways,  the  last  item  in  this  tre- 
mendous business  being  the  acquisition,  a  few 
months  ago,  of  the  St.  Gothard  line  which,  with 
its  debt,  has  cost,  or  will  cost,  some  fifty  mil- 
lions.    It  took  us   about   seven  years  to  get 


Just  a  Common  Voyage  23 

worked  up  to  the  pitch  of  government  owner- 
ship. The  price  seemed  extravagant  in  1891, 
and  the  measure  was  defeated  more  than  two  to 
one ;  in  1898  there  was  a  majority  of  more  than 
two  hundred  thousand  in  favour  of  it ;  the  vote 
brought  out  almost  the  whole  voting  strength 
of  the  country. 

' '  The  citizens  of  Zurich,  a  few  years  ago,  re- 
fused to  spend  their  money  in  building  an  art- 
museum  ;  but  thought  better  of  it  in  1906.  The 
truth  of  the  matter  is,  the  people  like  to  show 
their  power ;  they  like  to  discipline  their  repre- 
sentatives, often  at  the  expense  of  their  own 
best  interests.  In  1900  they  turned  down  by  a 
majority  of  nearly  two  hundred  thousand  a 
Workmen's  Compulsory  Insurance  bill  which 
both  houses  had  carried  with  only  one  opposing 
vote. 

"  The  interference  of  the  people  with  the 
finances  of  the  cantons,  or  of  the  cities,  often 
works  mischief.  How,  indeed,  could  they  be 
expected  to  show  much  wisdom  in  deciding  on 
questions  which  even  an  expert  would  find  dif- 
ficult? They  are  willing  to  reduce  water-rates, 
but  they  object  to  increase  taxes,  except  on 
large  fortunes.  They  will  readily  authorize  in- 
curring a  good  big  debt,  but  they  do  not  like  to 
face  the  necessity  of  paying  it,  or  providing 


24  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

for  the  payment  of  it.  As  a  people  we  are  a 
little  near-sighted;  we  are  not  gifted  with 
imagination. ' ' 

"  I  should  think  this  popular  interest  in 
government  would  tend  to  educate  the  masses,' ' 
I  suggested. 

"  It  certainly  does,"  replied  M.  Criant. 
"  Questions  are  discussed  on  their  merits  and 
though,  of  course,  a  tricky  orator  may  mislead, 
it  will  not  be  for  long. ' ' 

At  this  point  we  were  interrupted,  so  that 
nothing  more  was  said  at  the  time  about  Swiss 
politics.  Both  my  friends,  however,  renewed 
their  invitations  for  me  to  be  sure  to  look  them 
up.  It  is  one  of  the  great  pleasures  and  ad- 
vantages of  travelling  that  one  may  make  de- 
lightful acquaintances.  I  had  no  intention  of 
letting  slip  the  opportunity  of  further  inter- 
course with  men  so  genial  and  well  informed  as 
Professor  Landoldt  and  M.  Criant. 

The  voyage  came  to  an  end,  as  do  all  things 
earthly.  Nothing  untoward  happened ;  and  we 
reached  Cherbourg  on  schedule  time. 


CHAPTER   III 

A   ROUNDABOUT    TOUR 

fUTH  and  her  husband  were  waiting 
for  me.  Will  took  charge  of  my  lug- 
gage. He  sent  my  trunk  by  express 
to  Lausanne.  He  even  insisted  on 
paying  the  duties  on  my  cigars  —  several  boxes 
of  Havanas.  I  always  smoke  the  best  cigars, 
though,  thank  the  Heavenly  Powers,  I  am  not 
a  slave  to  the  habit.  I  suppose  every  man  says 
that,  if  for  no  other  reason  than  to  contradict 
his  wife. 

When  everything  was  arranged,  we  took  our 
places  in  the  handsome  French  touring-car, 
which,  like  a  living  thing  instinct  with  life, 
proud  of  its  shiny  sides,  of  its  rich  upholstery, 
of  its  wide,  swift  tires,  of  its  perfectly  adjusted 
machinery,  was  to  bear  us  across  France. 

Emile,  in  green  livery,  managed  her  with  the 
skill  of  a  Bengali  mahout  in  charge  of  an  obedi- 
ent and  well-trained  elephant.  Emile  was  a 
character.  Born  in  French  Switzerland,  he 
spoke  French,  German  and  Italian  with  equal 
fluency,  and  he  had  a  smattering  of  English 

25 


26  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

which  he  invested  with  a  picturesque  quality 
due  to  transplanted  idioms  and  a  variegated 
accent.  Had  he  worn  an  upward-curling  mus- 
tache and  a  pointed  Napoleonic  beard,  one 
might  have  taken  him  for  at  least  a  vicomte. 
He  knew  every  nook  and  corner  of  the  twenty- 
two  cantons  and  he  had  a  sense  of  locality 
worthy  of  a  North  American  Indian. 

I  could  write  a  book  about  that  trip  from 
Cherbourg  to  Lausanne.  Time  meant  nothing 
to  us.  We  could  follow  any  whim,  delay  any- 
where, without  serious  fillip  of  conscience.  The 
children  were  in  trustworthy  hands;  the 
weather  was  fine.  If  there  is  anything  in 
astrology,  the  stars  may  be  said  to  have  been 
propitious.  We  stopped  for  a  day  at  the  little 
town  of  Dol  in  Bretagne.  In  honour  of  some 
problematic  ancestor  I  had  the  portal  of  the 
cathedral  decorating  my  book-plate,  and  it  was 
an  act  which  a  Chinese  mandarin  would  ap- 
prove —  to  pay  our  respects  to  the  dim  shades 
of  Sir  Raoul,  or  Due  Raoul,  who  is  said  to  have 
accompanied  William  the  Conqueror  to  Eng- 
land and  to  have  killed  Hereward  the  Wake  in 
a  hand-to-hand  contest  among  the  fens.  For- 
tunate little  town  to  have  such  a  cathedral, 
though  why  Samson  should  be  its  patron  saint 
I  do  not  pretend  to  understand.    His  conduct 


A  Roundabout  Tour  27 

with  Delilah  was  hardly  saint-like,  as  we  are 
accustomed  to  regard  conduct  in  these  days. 

We  climbed  Mont  Dol  and  saw  the  footprints 
made  by  the  agile  archangel  Michael  when  he 
crouched  to  spring  over  to  the  rock  that  bears 
his  name.  Generally  such  marks  are  attrib- 
uted to  the  fallen  angel  who  switches  the  forked 
tail.  That  unpleasant  personage  must  have 
been  in  ancient  days  as  diligent  in  travel  as  the 
Wandering  Jew.  The  book  of  Job  contains  his 
confession  to  the  Lord  that  he  was  even  then 
in  the  habit  of  going  to  and  fro  in  the  earth 
and  walking  up  and  down  in  it. 

We  saw  Mont  Michel,  too,  and  wandered  all 
over  its  wonderful  castle.  We  did  not  think 
it  best  to  make  a  long  sojourn  in  Paris.  No 
longer  is  it  said  that  good  Americans  go  there 
when  they  die.  They  had  been  having  rain 
and  the  Seine  was  on  a  rampage.  What  a 
strange  idea  to  build  a  big  city  on  a  marsh! 
it  is  certain  to  be  deluged  every  little  while; 
and  house-cleaning  must  be  a  terrible  nuisance 
after  the  muddy  waters  have  swept  through 
the  second  story  floors,  even  if  the  foundations 
do  not  settle  or  the  house  itself  go  floating  down 
stream.  The  river  was  threatening  to  pour 
over  the  quais ;  the  arches  of  the  bridges  were 
almost   hidden    and   men   were    working   like 


28  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

beavers  to  protect  the  adjoining  streets  from 
inundation. 

When  human  beings  put  themselves  in  the 
way  of  the  forces  of  nature  they  are  likely  to 
be  relentlessly  wiped  out  of  existence.  Moun- 
tains have  a  way  of  nervously  shaking  their 
shoulders  as  if  they  felt  annoyed  at  the  tem- 
ples or  huts  put  there  by  men,  just  as  a  horse 
scares  away  the  flies  on  his  flank,  and,  as  the 
flies  come  back,  so  do  men  return  to  the  fas- 
cinating heights.  It  has  been  remarked  that 
large  rivers  always  run  by  large  cities,  but  the 
intervales  through  which  the  rivers  run,  the 
flat  lands  which  offer  such  opportunities  for 
laying  out  streets  at  small  expense,  are  the 
creations  of  the  busy  waters,  and  they  seem  to 
resent  the  trespassing  of  bipeds,  and  they  some- 
times rise  in  their  wrath  and  sweep  the  puny 
insects  away. 

I  ought  not  to  speak  disparagingly  of  Paris : 
it  was  in  my  plan  to  return  later  and  stay  as 
long  as  I  pleased.  How  can  one  judge  of  a 
person  or  of  a  city  in  a  moment's  acquaintance? 
We  left  by  the  Porte  de  Clarenton;  we  sped 
through  the  famous  forest  of  Fontainebleau  — 
Call  it  a  forest !  It  is  about  as  much  of  a  forest 
as  a  golf  links  are  a  mountain  lynx.  We 
stayed  long  enough  to  look  into  the  famous 


A  Roundabout  Tour  29 

palace,  and  evoke  the  memories  of  king  and 
emperor. 

We  spent  a  night  at  Orleans.  I  dreamed  that 
night  that  Julius  Caesar  was  kind  enough  to 
show  me  about.  He  pointed  out  the  spot  where 
his  camp  was  established  and  he  told  me  how 
he  burnt  the  town  of  Genabum,  the  capital  of 
the  Carnutes.  I  had  not  long  before  read 
Napoleon's  "  Life  of  Caesar." 

To  think  of  two  thousand  years  of  continuous 
existence;  the  same  river  flowing  gently  by. 
If  only  rivers  could  remember  and  relate!  It 
would  have  reflected  Attila  in  its  gleaming 
waters.  It  would  also  have  its  memories  of  the 
Maid  whose  courage  freed  the  former  city  of 
the  Aurelians  from  its  English  foes. 

When  we  reached  Tours  the  question  arose 
whether  we  should  not  take  the  roundabout 
route  through  Poitier,  Angouleme  and  Biar- 
ritz, thence  zigzagging  over  to  Pau,  with  its 
memories  of  Marguerite  de  Valois,  and  the 
birthplace  of  Bernadotte,  pausing  at  Carcas- 
sonne—  if  for  nothing  else  to  justify  one's 
memory  of  Gustave  Nadaud's  famous  poem:  — 

"  Yet  could  I  there  two  days  have  spent 
While  still  the  autumn  sweetly  shone, 
Ah  me!    I  might  have  died  content, 
When  I  had  looked  on  Carcassonne  "  — 


30  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

getting  wonderful  views  of  the  Pyrenees  — 
only  three  hundred  and  fifty-two  miles  from 
Tours  to  Biarritz,  less  than  three  hundred 
miles  to  Carcassonne. 

One  hundred  and  thirty  miles  farther  is 
Montpellier,  once  famous  for  its  school  of 
medicine  and  law.  Here  Petrarca  studied 
almost  six  hundred  years  ago  and  here,  in  1798, 
Auguste  Comte,  the  prophet  of  humanity,  was 
born. 

At  Nimes,  thirty  miles  farther  on,  beckoned 
us  the  wonderful  remains  of  the  old  Roman 
civilization  —  the  beautiful  Maison  Carree,  its 
almost  perfect  amphitheatre,  where  once  as 
many  as  twenty  thousand  spectators  could 
watch  naval  contests  on  its  flooded  arena,  where 
Visigoths  and  Saracens  engaged  in  combats 
which  made  the  sluices  run  with  blood.  Here 
were  born  Alphonse  Daudet  and  the  historian 
Guizot.  Was  it  not  worth  while  to  make  a  pil- 
grimage to  such  birthplaces?  I  would  walk 
many  miles  to  meet  Tartarin. 

Only  twenty-five  miles  farther  lies  Avignon, 
on  the  Rhone,  once  the  abiding-place  of  seven 
Popes,  and  from  there  a  run  of  one  hundred 
and  eighty-five  miles  takes  one  to  Grenoble, 
whence,  by  way  of  Aix-les-Bains,  it  is  an  easy 
and  delightful  way  to  reach  Geneva.     Then 


A  Roundabout  Tour  31 

Lausanne  —  home,  so  to  speak !  —  a  lakeside 
drive  of  a  couple  of  hours! 

The  other  choice  led  from  Tours,  through 
Bourges,  Nevers,  Lyons,  tapping  the  longer 
route  at  Chambery. 

1 '  We  will  leave  it  to  you  to  decide, ' '  said  my 
niece.  "  It  makes  not  the  slightest  difference 
to  us.  We  have  plenty  of  time.  Emile  says  the 
roads  are  equally  good  in  either  itinerary.  I 
myself  think  the  route  skirting  the  Pyrenees 
would  be  much  more  interesting." 

"  So  do  I!    I  vote  for  the  longer  route." 

Now  there  is  nothing  that  I  should  better 
like  than  to  write  a  rhapsody  about  that  mar- 
vellous journey  —  not  a  mere  prose  "  log," 
giving  statistics  and  occasionally  kindling  into 
enthusiasm  over  historic  chateau  or  medieval 
cathedral  or  glimpse  of  enchanting  scenery; 
but  the  "  journal  "  of  a  new  Childe  Harold 
borne  along  through  delectable  regions  and 
meeting  with  poetic  adventures,  having  at  his 
beck  and  call  a  winged  steed  tamer  than  Peg- 
asus and  more  reliable.  But  I  conscientiously 
refrain.  My  eyes  are  fixed  on  an  ultimate  goal, 
and  what  comes  between,  though  never  for- 
gotten, is  only,  as  it  were,  the  vestibule.  So 
I  pass  it  lightly  over,  only  exclaiming: 
"  Blessed  be  the  man  who  first  invented  the 


32  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

motor-car  and  thrice  blessed  he  who  put  its 
crowning  perfections  at  the  service  of  man- 
kind !  "  In  the  old  days  the  diligence  lumbered 
with  slow  solemnity  and  exasperating  tranquil- 
lity through  landscapes,  even  though  they  were 
devoid  of  special  interest.  The  automobile 
darts,  almost  with  the  speed  of  thought,  over 
the  long,  uninteresting  stretches  of  white  road. 
There  is  no  need  to  expend  pity  on  panting 
steeds  dragging  their  heavy  load  up  endless 
slopes.  And  when  one  wants  to  go  deliberately, 
or  stop  for  half  an  hour  and  drink  in  some 
glorious  view,  the  pause  is  money  saved  and 
joy  intensified.  There  is  no  sense  of  weariness 
such  as  results  from  a  long  drive  behind  even 
the  best  of  horses.  Not  that  I  love  horses  less 
but  motos  more ! 

Twenty  days  we  were  on  the  road  and  fa- 
voured most  of  the  time  with  ideal  weather. 
It  was  one  long  dream  of  delight.  We  had  so 
much  to  talk  about;  so  much  we  learned!  So 
many  wonderful  sights  we  saw! 

How  could  I  possibly  describe  the  first  dis- 
tant view  of  the  Alps?  It  is  one  of  those  sen- 
sations that  only  music  can  approximately  rep- 
resent in  symbols.  Olyenin,  the  hero  of  Count 
Tolstoi's  famous  novel,  "  The  Cossacks," 
catches  his  first  glimpse  of  the  Caucasus  and 


A  Roundabout  Tour  33 

they  occupy  his  mind,  for  a  time  at  least,  to 
the  exclusion  of  everything  else.  "  Little  by 
little  he  began  to  appreciate  the  spirit  of  their 
beauty  and  he  felt  the  mountains." 

I  have  seen,  on  August  days,  lofty  moun- 
tains of  cloud  piled  up  on  the  horizon,  vast 
pearly  cliffs,  keenly  outlined  pinnacles,  and  I 
have  imagined  that  they  were  the  Himalayas 
—  Kunchinjunga  or  Everest  —  or  the  Caucasus 
topped  by  Elbruz  —  or  the  Andes  lifting  on 
high  Huascaran  or  Coropuna  —  or  more  fre- 
quently the  Alps  crowned  by  Mont  Blanc  or 
the  Jungfrau.  For  a  moment  the  illusion  is 
perfect,  but  alas!  they  change  before  your 
very  eyes  —  perhaps  not  more  rapidly  than  our 
earthly  ranges  in  the  eyes  of  the  Deity  to  whom 
a  thousand  years  is  but  a  day.  They,  too,  are 
changing,  changing.  Only  a  few  millions  of 
years  ago  Mont  Blanc  was  higher  than  Everest ; 
in  the  yesterday  of  the  mind  the  little  Welsh 
hills,  or  our  own  Appalachians,  were  higher 
than  the  Alps. 

Like  summer  clouds,  then,  on  the  horizon 
are  piled  up  the  mighty  wrinkles  of  our  old 
Mother  Earth.  We  cannot  see  them  change, 
but  they  are  dissolving,  disintegrating.  Only 
a  day  or  two  ago  I  read  in  the  newspaper  of  a 
great  peak  which  rolled  down  into  the  valley, 


34  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

sweeping  away  and  burying  vineyards  and 
orchards  and  forests  and  the  habitations  of 
men.  The  term  everlasting  hills  is  therefore 
only  relative  and  their  resemblance  to  clouds  is 
a  really  poetic  symbol. 

Oh,  but  the  enchantment  of  mountains  seen 
across  a  beautiful  sheet  of  water !  It  is  a  curi- 
ous circumstance  that  the  colour  of  one  lake  is 
an  exquisite  blue,  while  another,  not  so  far 
away,  may  be  as  green  as  an  emerald.  So  it  is 
with  the  tiny  Lake  of  Nemi,  which  is  like  a  blue 
eye,  and  the  Lake  of  Albano,  which  is  an  intense 
green.  Here  now  before  our  eyes,  as  we  drove 
up  from  Geneva  to  Lausanne,  lay  a  sheet  of 
the  most  delicate  azure,  and  we  could  distinctly 
see  the  fringe  of  grey  or  greenish  grey  bottom, 
the  so-called  beine  or  blancfond,  which  the  an- 
cient lake-dwellers  utilized  as  the  foundation 
for  their  aerial  homes.  My  nephew  told  me 
how  a  scientist,  named  Forel,  took  a  block  of 
peat  and  soaked  it  in  filtered  water,  which  soon 
became  yellow.  Then  he  poured  some  of  this 
solution  into  Lake  Geneva  water,  and  the  colour 
instantly  became  a  beautiful  green  like  that  of 
Lake  Lucerne. 

I  found  that  Will  Allerton  is  greatly  inter- 
ested in  the  geology  of  Switzerland.  Indeed, 
one  cannot  approach  its  confines  without  mar- 


A  Roundabout  Tour  35 

veiling  at  the  forces  which  have  here  been  in 
conflict  —  the  prodigious  energy  employed  in 
sweeping  up  vast  masses  of  granite  and  proto- 
gine  and  gneiss  as  if  they  were  paste  in  the 
hands  of  a  baby;  the  explosive  powers  of  the 
frost,  the  mighty  diligence  of  the  waters. 
Here  has  gone  on  for  ages  the  drama  of  heat 
and  cold.  The  snow  has  fallen  in  thick  blan- 
kets, it  has  changed  by  pressure  into  firn,  and 
then  becomes  a  river  of  ice,  flowing  down  into 
the  valleys,  gouging  out  deep  ruts  and,  when 
they  come  into  the  influence  of  the  summer 
sun,  melting  into  torrents  and  rushing  down, 
heaping  up  against  obstacles,  forming  lakes, 
and  then  again  finding  a  passage  down,  ever 
down,  until  they  mingle  with  the  sea. 

As  we  mounted  up  toward  Lausanne,  the 
ancient  terrace  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  above  the  present  level  of  the  lake  is  very 
noticeable.  In  fact  the  low  tract  between  Lau- 
sanne and  Yverdun,  on  the  Lake  of  Neuchatel, 
which  corresponds  to  that  level,  gives  colour  to 
the  theory  that  the  Lake  of  Geneva  once  emp- 
tied in  that  direction  and  communicated  with 
the  North  Sea  instead  of  with  the  Mediterra- 
nean as  now.  How  small  an  obstacle  it  takes 
entirely  to  change  the  course  of  a  river  or  of 
a  man's  life! 


36  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

These  practical  remarks  were  only  a  foil  to 
the  exclamations  of  delight  elicited  by  every 
vista.  I  mean  to  know  the  lake  well,  and  shall 
traverse  it  in  every  direction.  It  takes  only 
eight  or  ten  minutes  from  my  niece's  honse  by 
the  funicular,  or,  as  it  is  familiarly  called,  la 
ficelle,  down  to  Ouchy,  the  port  of  Lausanne. 
I  parodied  the  lines  of  Emerson  — 

I  love  a  lake,  I  love  a  pond, 

I  love  the  mountains  piled  beyond. 

But  I  must  confess  I  was  not  sorry  to  dis- 
mount from  the  motor-car  in  front  of  the 
charming  house  that  was  destined  to  be  my 
abode  for  so  many  months. 


\ 


CHAPTER   IV 

HOME    AT   LAUSANNE 

HE  house  stands  by  itself  in  a  com- 
manding situation  on  the  Avenue  de 
Collanges.  It  is  of  dark  stone,  with 
bay  windows.  The  front  door  seemed 
to  me,  architecturally,  unusually  well-propor- 
tioned. It  was  reached  by  a  long  flight  of  steps. 
It  belonged  to  an  old  Lausanne  family  who 
were  good  enough  to  rent  it  completely  fur- 
nished. I  noticed,  in  the  library,  shelves  full 
of  interesting  books  bound  in  vellum.  Inter- 
esting? Well,  I  doubt  if  I  should  care  to  read 
many  of  them  —  they  are  in  Latin  for  the  most 
part.  How  in  the  world  could  men  in  those  old 
days  induce  printers  to  manufacture  such 
stately  tomes  filled  with  so  much  wasted  learn- 
ing, on  hand-made  paper? 

I  suppose  it  was  characteristic  of  me  to  be 
attracted  first  of  all  by  the  library,  but,  as  soon 
as  I  got  to  my  own  room,  I  went  to  the  window 
—  I  confess  it,  the  tears  came  to  my  eyes !    It 

37 


38  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

must  be  a  dream.  I  recognize  the  cathedral 
with  its  massive  Gothic  tower  and  its  slender 
spire  and  over  the  house-tops,  far  below,  four 
hundred  feet  below,  gleams  the  azure  lake,  and 
beyond  rise  the  mountains.  A  steamboat  cuts 
a  silvery  furrow  through  the  blue,  and  a  pearly 
cloud  clings  to  the  side  of  —  yes,  it  must  be  La 
Dent  du  Midi!  Below  me,  for  the  most  part, 
lies  Lausanne.  I  shall  have  plenty  of  time  to 
know  it  thoroughly,  and  never,  never  shall  I 
tire  of  that  view  from  my  chamber-window, 
looking  off  across  the  azure  lake. 

So  absorbed  was  I  in  my  contemplation  that 
I  had  not  realized  how  near  luncheon-time  it 
was.  My  trunk  was  at  hand,  unstrapped,  and 
I  quickly  changed  from  ship  and  automobile 
costume  into  somewhat  more  formal  dress.  I 
was  still  looking  out  of  the  window  with  my 
collar  in  my  hand  when  a  miniature  cyclone 
burst  open  the  door.  Yes,  it  was  my  nephew 
and  namesake  with  the  twin  girls,  blue-eyed 
Ethel  and  blue-eyed  Barbara,  who  came  to 
sweep  me  down  with  them  to  luncheon.  How 
friendly,  how  gay,  how  excited,  they  were  to 
see  their  Oncle  Americain!  We  became  great 
friends  on  the  spot! 

How  delightful  it  is,  after  weeks  of  desultory 
meals  at  restaurants   and  hotels,  to  sit  once 


Home  at  Lausanne  39 

more  at  a  well-ordered  home  table!  The  di- 
ning-room was  a  large,  stately  apartment,  with 
wide  window-recesses.  There  was  fine  stained 
glass  in  the  windows.  A  number  of  admirable 
chamois  heads  with  symmetrical  horns  were 
attached  to  the  walls.  In  one  corner  stood  a 
superb  example  of  the  ancient  pottery  stoves. 
It  was  of  white  and  blue  faience  a  email  stan- 
nifere  with  gaily  painted  flowers  in  the  four 
corner  vases.  An  inscription  informed  those 
that  could  read  the  quaint  lettering  that  it  was 
made  at  Winterthur  in  1647.  How  many  gen- 
erations of  men  it  had  warmed  and  comforted ! 
How  many  happy  families  had  gathered  about 
its  huge  flanks!  What  stories  it  might  relate 
of  the  days  of  yore !  In  spite  of  its  artistic  and 
antiquarian  charm,  however,  it  does  not  com- 
pare to  the  old  New  England  or  English  open 
fireplace  with  fire-dogs  supporting  great  logs 
of  flaming  wood  which,  as  they  burn  down,  turn 
into  visions  of  rose-red  palaces. 

I  wonder  how  many  of  these  old  stoves  are 
to  be  found  in  Switzerland.  The  art  of  making 
them  is  said  to  have  been  brought  from  Ger- 
many, but  it  soon  acquired  an  individuality  of 
its  own.  I  am  told  that  there  are  superb  speci- 
mens of  them  in  the  various  museums.  The 
stannifer  enamel  is  made  by  including  some  of 


40  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

the  oxide  of  tin  in  the  biscuit.  It  makes  the 
enamel  opaque. 

After  luncheon  Will  asked  me  if  I  would  like 
to  go  over  to  the  University,  where  he  said  he 
had  a  little  business.  I  was  very  glad  to  do  so. 
The  Avenue  de  Collanges  passes  by  the  Free 
Theological  Institute,  the  Ecole  de  Saint  Roche, 
and,  after  joining  with  the  Rue  Neuve,  leads 
into  the  Place  de  la  Riponne,  facing  which 
stands  the  Palais  de  Rumine  in  which  are  the 
offices  of  the  University. 

After  the  Reformed  Church  was  established 
in  Lausanne  there  was  a  great  demand  for 
ministers,  and  a  sort  of  theological  school  was 
founded  in  1536.  Pierre  Viret,  a  tailor's  son, 
was  active  in  this  work.  The  famous  Konrad 
von  Gesner,  the  following  year,  became  profes- 
sor of  Greek  there,  though  he  was  only  twenty- 
one.  He  won  his  great  reputation  as  a  zoolo- 
gist and  botanist.  An  indefatigable  investi- 
gator, he  published  no  less  than  seventy-two 
works  and  left  eighteen  partly  completed. 
They  covered  medicine,  mineralogy  and  philol- 
ogy, as  well  as  botany.  He  collected  more  than 
five  hundred  different  plants  which  the  ancients 
knew  nothing  about. 

Another  of  the  early  professors  was  Theo- 
dore de  Beze.    I  remembered  seeing  his  name  on 


Home  at  Lausanne  41 

my  Greek  Testament  but  I  had  forgotten  what 
an  interesting  character  he  was.  It  is  a  tre- 
mendous change  from  being  a  dissipated  cava- 
lier at  the  court  of  Francois  I,  writing  witty 
and  improper  verses,  to  teaching  Greek  and 
morals  at  Lausanne ;  but  it  was  brought  about 
by  an  illness  which  made  him  see  a  great  light. 
While  teaching  at  Lausanne  he  wrote  a  Biblical 
drama,  entitled,  "  Abraham's  Sacrifice."  I 
am  sorry  to  say  he  approved  of  the  sacrifice  of 
Servetus.  He  was  at  Lausanne  for  ten  years 
and  then  was  called  to  Geneva,  where  he  became 
Calvin's  right-hand  man  and  ultimately  suc- 
ceeded him.  I  wonder  if  he  kept  a  copy  of  his 
early  verses  and  read  them  over  with  mingled 
feelings. 

It  is  rather  odd  that  one  of  Beze's  succes- 
sors, Alexandre  Rodolphe  Vinet,  who  is  re- 
garded in  Lausanne  as  the  greatest  of  all  her 
professors,  had  a  somewhat  similar  experience. 
He,  too,  was  gay  and  dissipated  and  wrote  rol- 
licking verses  when  he  was  a  young  man;  he, 
like  old  Omar,  urged  his  friends  to  empty  the 
wine-cup  (or  rather  the  bottle,  as  it  rhymed 
better)  and  let  destiny  go  hang:  "  The  god 
that  watches  o'er  the  trellis  is  now  our  only 
reigning  king."  Perhaps,  later,  he  may  have 
found  a  hidden  spiritual  meaning  in  his  refer- 


42  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

ences.  Ascetics  converted  from  rather  free 
living  have  been  known  thus  to  argue.  Vinet, 
Will  told  me,  began  by  teaching  theology;  but 
he  demanded  greater  freedom  of  utterance 
than  the  directors  of  the  Academy  were  pre- 
pared to  allow.  He  detested  the  Revivalists 
and  called  them  lunatics.  He  opposed  any  es- 
tablished church.  He  was  simply  ahead  of  his 
day.  He  was  a  brilliant  preacher,  and  his  lec- 
tures on  literature  were  highly  enjoyed;  but, 
after  the  Revolution  of  1845,  he  was  obliged  to 
resign.  Two  years  later  he  died.  He,  too, 
wrote  many  valuable  books,  mostly  theological 
works,  half  a  dozen  of  which  have  been  trans- 
lated into  English. 

Talking  about  these  early  days,  we  had 
reached  the  Palais  Rumine,  that  monument  of 
Russian  generosity  —  a  new  building  —  one 
might  call  it  almost  a  parvenu  building  — 
compared  with  the  old  Gothic  cathedral,  only 
a  few  steps  farther  on. 

In  a  way,  however,  the  cathedral  is  even  later 
than  the  palace,  because  its  restoration,  in 
accordance  with  plans  designed  by  the  famous 
French  architect,  Viollet-le-Duc,  was  not  com- 
pleted until  1906,  two  years  after  the  other 
building  was  dedicated  to  its  present  uses.  The 
palace,  which  was  built  from  the  fifteen  hun- 


Home  at  Lausanne  43 

dred  thousand  francs  left  by  Gavriil  Riumin 
(to  spell  the  name  in  the  Russian  way),  con- 
tains the  various  offices  of  the  University,  as 
well  as  picture  galleries  and  museums. 

"  So  this  is  the  famous  University  of  Lau- 
sanne," I  exclaimed,  as  we  entered  the  learned 
portal. 

"  It  has  been  a  University  for  only  about  a 
quarter  of  a  century,"  remarked  Will.  "  Gib- 
bon and  others  wanted  the  Academy  raised  to 
a  University  more  than  a  hundred  years  ago; 
but  there  seemed  to  be  some  prejudice  against 
it.  Its  various  schools  were  added  at  intervals. 
There  has  been  a  Special  Industrial  School  '  of 
Public  Works  and  Constructions  '  for  about 
sixty  years.  In  1873  a  school  of  pharmacy  was 
started,  and  in  1888,  when  the  Academy  became 
a  full-fledged  University,  it  established  a  medi- 
cal school.  Theology  still  stands  first;  then 
come  the  schools  of  letters,  of  law,  of  science, 
of  pedagogy,  and  of  chemistry.  Instruction  is 
given  in  design,  fencing,  riding  and  gymnastics, 
and  the  University  grants  three  degrees,  the 
baccalaureate,  the  licentiate  and  the  doctorate. 
It  has  an  excellent  library." 

"  My  errand  will  take  me  only  a  moment," 
he  added.  "It  is  too  fine  a  day  to  waste  in- 
doors; we  shall  have  plenty  of  times  when  the 


44  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

atmosphere  is  not  so  clear,  for  the  museums 
and  the  cathedral.  I  propose  we  stretch  our 
legs  by  walking  up  to  the  Signal.  Are  you  fit 
for  such  a  climb'?  " 

"  "What  do  you  take  me  for?  "  I  asked,  with 
a  fine  show  of  indignation.  "  It  is  only  about 
four  hundred  feet  above  where  we  are  now." 

I  had  not  studied  the  guide-book  for  nothing. 

There  may  be  a  great  exhilaration  and  ex- 
citement and  delight  in  climbing  to  the  top  of 
lofty  mountains,  but,  when  one  has  achieved 
the  summit,  even  if  the  view  be  not  cut  off  by 
clouds,  the  distances  are  so  enormous  that  for 
poor  mortal  eyes  the  result  is  most  unsatisfac- 
tory. Huddled  together,  peak  with  peak,  an 
indistinguishable  mass,  lie  other  mountains 
and  ranges  of  mountains,  with  bottomless  val- 
leys; the  effect  is  as  unsatisfactory  as  the  air 
is  rare.  One  can  see  nothing  clearly;  one  is 
out  of  one's  element,  so  to  speak;  one  can 
hardly  breathe. 

But  from  a  height  of  a  thousand  feet,  or  so, 
one  gets  a  comprehensive  view  of  the  world; 
one  can  distinguish  the  habitations  of  men; 
their  farms  and  fields  are  marked  off  with 
fences ;  the  rivers  and  brooks  are  not  voiceless. 
It  is  a  satisfying  experience.  Such  is  the  im- 
pression that  I  got  from  the  top  of  the  Signal. 


Home  at  Lausanne  45 

The  city  is  fascinating,  seen  from  above.  There 
is  the  great  bulk  of  the  cathedral  with  its 
massive  tower  and  the  tall  slender  spire;  the 
red  roofs  of  innumerable  houses ;  chimneys  of 
factories  in  the  lower  town ;  then  the  exquisite 
lake;  and,  beyond  it,  the  singularly  silent  and 
solemn  masses  of  Les  Diablerets,  Le  Grand 
Muveran  and  the  jagged  teeth  of  the  Savoy 
Mountains,  biting  into  the  sky.  They  are  so 
high  that  they  shut  off  the  grand  bulk  of  Mont 
Blanc.  It  was  certainly  most  thoughtful  of  my 
Lord  Rhone  to  pause  in  the  great  valley  and 
make  a  sky-blue  lake  for  the  delectation  of 
mortals!  Like  swans  with  raised  wings  are 
the  sail-boats.  How  far  the  wake  made  by  that 
excursion  steamboat  extends  across  the  placid 
water;  it  is  curved  like  a  scimetar  of  dam- 
ascened steel! 

"  What  a  host  of  hotels!  "  I  exclaimed.  "  I 
wonder  how  many  foreigners  are  staying  at 
Lausanne. ' ' 

"  There  must  be  five  or  six  thousand  regular 
residents  from  other  parts  of  the  world,  besides 
the  multitude  of  transients ;  Lausanne  is  a  con- 
venient stopping-place  for  several  routes,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  Simplon  Tunnel  line  to  Italy. 
There  are  probably  fourteen  hundred  students 
at  the  University,  and  half  of  that  number  are 


46  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

Germans,  Eussians  and  Poles.  The  German 
Minister  of  Public  Instruction  permits  students 
of  the  Empire  to  spend  the  first  three  semes- 
ters at  certain  of  the  Swiss  universities.  But 
a  suspicion  arose  in  some  Vaterland  circles  that 
these  young  men  were  being  corrupted  by  Eus- 
sian  radicalism  and  Vaudois  democracy  —  un- 
dermining their  monarchical  principles.  There 
was  also  some  jealousy,  especially  in  the  Law 
School.  Herr  Kuhlenbeck  and  Herr  Vleuten 
were  the  so-called  treaty  professors,  and  the 
fees  were  not  equally  distributed.  The  Eund- 
schau  charged  that  young  men  learned  social- 
ism. 

"  It  has  always  seemed  to  me  an  excellent 
notion  to  exchange  students,  just  as  we  are  be- 
ginning to  exchange  professors.  It  might  serve 
to  undermine  narrow,  sectional  patriotism,  but 
it  would  teach  a  broader,  world  patriotism." 

The  view  back  of  Lausanne  also  claimed  my 
attention. 

"  These  heights  of  Jorat,"  said  Will,  "  are 
rather  interesting  geologically.  It  seems  to  be 
a  sort  of  subsidiary  wave,  filling  the  space  be- 
tween the  Jura  and  the  Alps;  but  it  has  an 
individuality  of  its  own.  It  was  always  covered 
with  great  sombre  forests  which  gave  it  a  mel- 
ancholy aspect.    The  basis  of  the  soil  is  sand- 


Home  at  Lausanne  47 

stone,  covered  with  pudding-stone.  The  ridge 
is  all  cut  up  with  deep  valleys.  I  have  heard 
it  said  that  the  inhabitants  had  quite  distin- 
guishing characteristics  and  I  don't  know  why 
the  people  who  live  on  some  particular  soil 
should  not  develop  in  their  own  way,  just  as 
the  trees  and  plants  and  even  the  animals  do. 
The  stature  diminishes  as  men  inhabit  higher 
and  higher  altitudes.  The  Swiss  of  the  plains 
are  generally  rather  heavy  and  slow,  serious 
and  solid.  In  the  same  way  the  people  who  live 
along  the  Jorat  ought  to  be  self-contained, 
close-mouthed,  rather  sad  in  temperament,  per- 
haps uncertain  in  their  movements,  like  the 
brook,  the  Nozon,  which  can't  quite  make  up  its 
mind  whether  to  flow  to  the  Mediterranean  by 
way  of  the  Rhone  or  to  the  German  Ocean  by 
way  of  the  Rhine." 

"  It  used  to  be  a  pretty  important  region,  I 
should  judge,"  said  I,  "  from  all  I  have  read 
of  Swiss  history.  One  flood  of  invasion  after 
another  dashed  up  against  its  walls  and  poured 
through  its  valleys." 

"  It  was,  indeed.  Some  day  I  will  show  you 
the  old  tower  which  was  called  the  Eye  of  Hel- 
vetia because  it  looked  down  and  guarded  the 
chief  routes  south  and  north,  which  crossed  at 
its  feet.    It  can  be  seen  on  a  clear  day  from  the 


48  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

top  of  Mont  Pelerin.  Then  there  is  the  tower 
of  Gourze,  where  Queen  Berthe  took  refuge 
when  the  Huns  came  sweeping  over  this  land. 
Lausanne  itself,  as  it  is  now,  is  a  proof  of  the 
old  invasions;  it  used  to  stand  on  the  very 
shores  of  the  lake,  but,  when  the  Allemanni 
came,  the  inhabitants  took  refuge  in  the 
heights." 

"  I  think  this  is  a  charming  view,  but,  do 
you  know,  to  me  its  greatest  charm  is  in  the 
signs  of  a  flourishing  population.  See  the 
church  spires  picturesquely  rising  above 
clumps  of  trees,  and,  here  and  there,  the  tiled 
roofs  of  some  old  chateau  —  of  course  I  do  not 
know  them  from  one  another,  but  I  know  the 
names  of  several  —  Moleson,  Corcelles,  Ropraz, 
Ussieres,  Chatelard,  Hermenches." 

Several  of  these  my  nephew  and  I  afterwards 
visited.  I  recall  with  delight  our  trip  to  the 
Chateau  de  Ropraz,  where  once  lived  the  won- 
derfully gifted  Renee  de  Marsehs.  It  now  be- 
longs to  the  family  of  Desmeules.  Near  it,  on 
a  hill,  lies  the  little  village,  the  church  of  which 
was  reconstructed  in  1761,  though  its  interior 
still  preserves  its  venerable,  archaic  appear- 
ance. A  grille  surmounted  by  the  Clavel  arms 
separates  the  nave  from  the  choir.  There  are 
tombs  with  Latin  inscriptions,  and  on  the  walls 


Home  at  Lausanne  49 

are  escutcheons  painted  with  the  arms  of  the 
old  seigneurs.  They  still  show  the  benches  re- 
served for  the  masters  of  the  chateau,  flanked 
by  two  chairs  with  copper  plates  signifying 
that  they  are  the  "  Place  du  Commandant  " 
and  the  ' '  Place  du  Chef  de  la  Justice. ' '  Seats 
were  provided  for  visiting  strangers  and  also 
for  the  domestics  of  the  chateau.  On  the  front 
of  the  pulpit  is  a  panneau  of  carved  wood  bear- 
ing the  words  Soli  Deo  Gloria. 

Renee,  after  her  father's  fortune  was  lost, 
failed  to  make  a  suitable  marriage,  but  she 
lived  in  Lausanne  until  1848,  and  people  used 
to  go  to  call  on  her.  They  loved  her  for  the 
brilliancy  of  her  mind  and  her  exquisite  old- 
fashioned  politeness.  She  knew  Voltaire  and 
all  the  great  men  of  his  time. 

Another  of  the  chateaux  which  we  men- 
tioned but  were  not  certain  that  we  could  see 
was  that  of  l'lsle,  situated  at  the  base  of  Mont 
Tendre  in  the  valley  of  the  Venoge.  To  this, 
also,  we  made  an  excursion  one  afternoon.  It 
must  have  been  splendid  in  its  first  equipment. 
It  was  built  for  Lieutenant  Charles  de  Chan- 
dieu  on  plans  furnished  by  the  great  French 
architect,  Francois  Mansard,  whose  memory  is 
preserved  in  thousands  of  American  roofs.  In 
its  day  it  was  surrounded  by  a  fine  park.    One 


50  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

room  was  furnished  with  Gobelin  tapestries, 
brilliant  with  classic  designs.  Other  rooms  had 
tapestries  with  panels  of  verdure  in  the  style 
of  the  Seventeenth  Century.  The  salon  was 
floored  with  marble  (."  the  marble  halls  " 
which  one  might  dream  of  dwelling  in)  and 
hung  with  crimson  damask,  setting  forth  the 
family  portraits  and  the  painted  panels.  On 
the  mantels  were  round  clocks  of  gilt  bronze, 
while  huge  mirrors,  resting  on  carved  consoles, 
reflected  the  brilliant  companies  that  gathered 
there  to  dance  or  play.  There  was  an  abun- 
dance of  high-backed  armchairs  and  sofas,  or 
as  they  called  them,  canapes,  upholstered  in 
velvet,  commodes  in  ebony  adorned  with  cop- 
per, and  marquetry  secretaries. 

On  the  ground  floor  there  was  a  great  ball- 
room hung  with  splendid  Cordovan  leather. 
As  it  had  a  large  organ  it  was  probably  used 
as  a  chapel,  for  the  family  was  musical  and 
several  of  the  ladies  of  the  Chandieu  family 
composed  psalms  —  Will  called  them  chants- 
Dieu,  which  was  not  bad. 

From  the  entrance-hall  a  splendid  stairway, 
still  well-preserved,  with  its  wrought-iron  rail- 
ing led  up  to  the  sleeping-rooms,  which  were 
furnished  with  great  beds  a  la  duchess e  with 
satin  baldaquins.    Among  the  treasures  was  a 


Home  at  Lausanne  51 

beautiful  chest  of  marquetry  bearing  the  coat- 
of-arms  quartered;  it  was  a  marriage-gift. 
Another,  dated  1622,  came  from  the  Seigneur 
de  Bretigny. 

In  front  was  a  terrace  with  steps  at  the  left 
leading  down  to  the  water.  On  each  side  of 
the  stately  main  entrance,  which  reached  to  the 
roof,  well  adorned  with  chimneys,  were  three 
generous  windows  on  each  floor.  In  front 
there  was  a  wide  and  beautifully  kept  lawn. 
The  property  was  sold  in  1810  for  one  hundred 
and  seventy  thousand  francs.  It  came  into  the 
hands  of  Jacques-Daniel  Cornaz,  who,  in  1877, 
sold  it  again  for  two  hundred  thousand.  It 
now  belongs  to  the  Commune  and  is  used  for 
the  ecoles  seculaires.  The  wall  that  once  sur- 
rounded it  has  disappeared  and  the  prosperous 
farms  once  attached  to  it  were  sold. 

There  is  nothing  in  the  literature  of  domes- 
tic life  more  fascinating  than  the  diary  and  let- 
ters of  Catherine  de  Chandieu,  who  married 
Salomon  de  Charriere  de  Severy.  They  in- 
herited the  charming  estate  of  Mex  with  its 
chateaux,  and  one  of  them,  with  a  queer-shaped 
apex  at  each  corner  and  a  fascinating  piazza, 
became  their  summer  home.  Another  of  these 
fine  old  places  was  the  Chateau  de  Saint-Bar- 
thelemy,  which  belonged  to  the  Lessert  family 


52  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

for  three  or  four  generations;  then  came  into 
the  possession  of  the  famous  Karl  Viktor  von 
Bonstetten,  the  author  and  diplomat,  and  was 
bought  in  1909  by  M.  Gaston  de  Cerjat.  In  the 
hall  hung  pictures  of  several  French  kings, 
probably  presented  because  of  diplomatic 
services.  Many  of  these  old  manor-houses  on 
the  shores  of  the  Lakes  of  Geneva  and  of 
Neuchatel  have  come  into  the  possession  of 
wealthy  foreigners  who  have  modernized  them ; 
others  are  now  asylums,  or  schools,  or  board- 
ing-houses. 

But  in  those  days  they  were  filled  with  a  cul- 
tivated and  hospitable  gentry  who  were  always 
paying  and  receiving  visits. 

Really  there  is  no  end  to  the  romance  of 
these  old  houses;  yet,  curiously  enough,  most 
of  them  were  carefully  set  down  in  little  val- 
leys which  protected  them  from  cold  winds,  but 
also  from  the  magnificent  views  which  they 
might  have  had.  Even  when  they  were  on  hills, 
trees  were  so  planted  as  to  hide  the  enchanting 
landscape,  the  lake  and  the  gleaming  moun- 
tains. Albrecht  von  Haller,  the  Bernese  poet 
and  novelist,  Charles  de  Bonnet  of  Geneva,  and 
Rousseau  at  Paris,  "  lifted  the  veil  from  the 
mountains  "  and  made  the  world  realize  that 
the  lake  was  something  else  than  a  trout-pond. 


Home  at  Lausanne  53 

It  was  time  for  us  to  be  getting  back.  While 
we  were  on  Le  Signal  some  aerial  Penelope  had 
woven  a  web  of  delicate  cloud  and  spread  it  out 
half-way  up  the  Savoy  Mountains  across  the 
lake;  everything  had  changed  as  everything 
will  in  a  brief  half-hour.  There  were  different 
gorges  catching  sunbeams,  and  tossing  out 
shadows ;  there  was  another  tint  of  violet  over 
the  waters.  I  suggested  a  plan  for  describing 
mountain  views.  It  was  to  gather  together  all 
the  adjectives  that  would  be  appropriate  — 
high,  lofty,  massive,  portentous,  frowning, 
cloud-capped,  craggy,  granitic,  basaltic,  snow- 
crowned,  delectable  and  so  on,  just  as  Lord 
Timothy  Dexter  did  with  his  punctuation- 
marks,  delegating  them  to  the  end  of  his 
"  Pickle  for  the  Knowing  Ones,"  so  that  peo- 
ple might  "  pepper  and  salt  "  it  as  they 
pleased.  If  I  wrote  a  book  about  Switzerland 
■ —  that  is,  if  I  find  that  my  impressions,  jotted 
down  like  a  diary,  are  worth  publishing,  I  mean 
to  add  an  appendix  to  contain  a  sort  of  armory 
of  well-fitting  adjectives  and  epithets  for  the 
use"  of  travellers  and  sentimental  young  per- 
sons. In  this  way  I  may  be  recognized  as  a 
benefactor  and  philanthropist. 

"  Do  yon  know  what  is  the  origin  of  the 
name,  Lausanne?  "  asked  Will,  arousing  me 


54  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

from  a  revery  caused  by  the  compelling  beauty 
of  those  gem-like  peaks,  that  rippling  ridge  of 
violet-edged  magnificences  that  loomed  above 
the  glorious  carpet  of  the  lake.  The  pedigree 
of  names  is  always  interesting  to  me.  Philol- 
ogy has  always  been  a  hobby  of  mine. 

"  Why,  yes,"  said  I,  "  that  is  an  easy  one. 
It  comes  from  the  former  name  of  the  river, 
Flon.  The  Romans  used  to  call  the  settlement 
here  Lousonna.  Almost  all  names  of  rivers 
have  the  primitive  word  meaning  water,  or 
flow,  hidden  in  them.  The  Aa,  the  Awe,  the 
Au,  the  Ouse,  the  Oise,  the  Aach  and  the  Eng- 
lish Avon,  and  a  lot  more,  come  from  the  Old 
High  German  aha,  and  that  is  nothing  but  the 
Latin  aqua.  The  Greek  hudor  is  seen  in  the 
Oder,  the  Adour,  the  Thur,  the  Dranse  and 
even  in  the  Portuguese  Douro;  and  the  Greek 
rheo,  •  I  flow,'  is  in  the  Ehine  and  the  Rhone 
and  the  Reuss  and  in  the  Rye." 

"  So  I  suppose  you  derive  Lausanne  from 
the  French  I'eau." 

As  I  passed  in  silent  contempt  such  an 
atrocious  joke  as  that,  he  seized  the  oppor- 
tunity to  tell  me  about  the  Frenchman  who  had 
some  unpleasant  associations  with  the  inhabit- 
ants and  declared  it  was  derived  from  les  dues 
—  the  asses. 


Home  at  Lausanne  55 

"  From  all  I  have  read  about  them,"  I  re- 
plied, "  they  must  have  been  a  pretty  narrow- 
minded,  bigoted  set  of  people  here.  Way  back 
in  1361  an  old  sow  was  tried  and  condemned 
to  be  hanged  for  killing  a  child ;  and  about  the 
middle  of  the  next  century  a  cock  was  publicly 
burned  for  having  laid  a  basilisk's  egg.  One 
of  the  worthy  bishops  of  Lausanne,  —  did 
you  ever  hear?  —  went  down  to  the  shores 
of  the  lake  and  recited  prayers  against 
the  bloodsuckers  that  were  killing  the 
salmon." 

"  "Was  that  any  more  superstitious  than  for 
present-day  ministers  to  pray  for  rain?  " 

"  I  suppose  not;  only  it  seems  more  trivial," 
I  replied  absently,  as  I  gazed  down  upon  the 
housetops.  "  I  did  not  realize  Lausanne  was 
so  large." 

"  The  city  is  growing,  Uncle.  Toward  the 
south  and  the  west  you  can  see  how  it  is  spread- 
ing out.  There  is  something  tragic  to  me  in 
the  outstretch  of  a  city.  It  is  like  the  conquest 
of  a  lava-flow,  such  as  I  once  saw  on  the  side  of 
Kilauea,  in  the  Hawaiian  Islands;  it  cuts  off 
the  trees,  it  sweeps  away  the  natural  beauties. 
Lausanne  has  trebled  its  population  in  fifty 
years.  It  must  have  been  much  more  pictur- 
esque when   Gibbon  lived  here.     For  almost 


56  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

i 

eighty  years  they  have  been  levelling  off  the 
hills.  It  took  five  years  to  build  the  big  bridge 
which  Adrien  Pichard  began,  but  did  not  live 
to  finish.  The  bridge  of  Chauderon  has  been 
built  less  than  ten  years." 

"  They  must  have  had  a  tremendous  lot  of 
filling  to  do." 

"  They  certainly  have,  and  they  have  given 
us  fine  streets  and  squares  —  especially  those 
of  La  Eiponne  and  Saint-Frangois.  It  was  too 
bad  they  destroyed  the  house  of  the  good  Dey- 
verdun,  where  Gibbon  spent  the  happiest  days 
of  his  life.  It  had  too  many  associations  with 
the  historic  past  of  Lausanne.  They  ought  to 
have  kept  the  whole  five  acres  as  a  city  park. 
What  is  a  post  office  or  a  hotel,  even  if  it  is 
named  after  a  man,  compared  to  the  rooms  in 
which  he  worked,  the  very  roof  that  sheltered 
him?  " 

"  We  have  still  time  enough,"  said  I,  con- 
sulting the  elevation  of  the  sun;  "  let  us  go 
down  by  way  of  the  cathedral.  I  should  like 
to  see  it  in  the  afternoon  light." 

"  We  can  take  the  funiculaire  down;  that 
will  get  us  there  quicker." 

We  did  so,  and  then  the  Rue  1 'Industrie 
brought  us,  by  way  of  the  Rue  Menthon,  to  the 
edifice  itself. 


Home  at  Lausanne  57 

"  I  want  you  to  notice  the  stone  of  which 
the  cathedral  is  built,"  said  Will. 

"  Yes,  it's  sandstone." 

"  It  is  called  Lausanne  stone.  A  good  many 
of  the  old  houses  are  built  of  it,  and  it  came 
from  just  one  quarry,  now  exhausted,  I  believe. 
It  seems  to  have  run  very  unevenly.  Some  of 
the  big  columns  are  badly  eaten  by  the  tooth  of 
time ;  in  others  the  details  are  just  as  fresh  as 
if  they  had  been  done  yesterday.  Notice  those 
quaint  little  figures  kneeling  and  flying  in  the 
ogives  of  the  portal;  some  are  intact,  others 
look  as  if  mice  had  gnawed  them.  It  is  just  the 
same  with  some  of  the  fine  old  houses ;  one  will 
be  shabby  and  dilapidated;  the  very  next  will 
be  well-preserved." 

' '  I  think  it  is  a  rather  attractive  colour  ■ — 
that  greyish-green  with  the  bluish  shadows." 

We  stood  for  a  while  outside  and  looked  up 
at  the  mighty  walls  and  the  noble  portal.  We 
walked  round  on  the  terrace  from  which  one 
gets  such  a  glorious  view. 

There  is  something  solemn  and  almost  dis- 
quieting in  a  religious  edifice  which  has  wit- 
nessed so  many  changes  during  a  thousand 
years.  Its  very  existence  is  a  curious  and  pa- 
thetic commentary  on  the  superstitions  of  men. 
Westerners,  interpreting  literally  the  symbol- 


58  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

ism  of  the  Orient,  believed  that  the  world  would 
come  to  an  end  at  the  end  of  the  first  millen- 
nium. It  was  a  terrible,  crushing  fear  in  many 
men's  minds.  "When  the  dreaded  climacteric 
had  passed  and  nothing  happened,  and  the 
steady  old  world  went  on  turning  just  as  it  had, 
the  pious  resolved  to  express  their  gratitude 
by  erecting  a  shrine  to  the  Virgin  Mother  of 
God.  Before  it  was  completed  its  founder  was 
assassinated.  In  the  thirteenth  century  it  was 
thrice  devastated  by  fires  which  were  attributed 
by  the  superstitious  to  the  anger  of  God  at  the 
sins  of  the  clergy  and  of  the  people.  The 
statue  of  the  Virgin  escaped  destruction  and 
the  church  was  rebuilt  between  1235  and  1275. 
When  it  was  consecrated,  in  October,  1275, 
Pope  Gregory  X,  with  the  Emperor,  Rudolf  of 
Hapsburg,  his  wife  and  their  eight  children, 
and  a  brilliant  crowd  of  notables,  cardinals, 
dukes,  princes  and  vassals  of  every  degree, 
were  present.  The  great  entrance  on  the  west 
was  completed  in  the  fifteenth  century.  The 
nave  is  three  hundred  and  fifty-two  feet  long; 
its  width  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  and  it 
is  divided  into  eight  aisles.  There  are  seventy 
windows  and  about  a  thousand  columns,  many 
of  them  curiously  carved. 

The  well-known  Gate  of  the  Apostles  is  in 


Home  at  Lausanne  59 


the  south  transept.  It  commemorates  only- 
seven  of  them,  though  why  that  invidious  dis- 
tinction should  have  been  made  no  one  knows. 
Old  Testament  characters  fill  up  the  quota. 
These  worthies  stand  on  bowed  and  cowed 
demons  or  other  enemies  of  the  Faith. 

In  the  south  wall  is  the  famous  rose-window, 
containing  representations  of  the  sun  and  the 
moon,  the  seasons  and  the  months,  the  signs 
of  the  zodiac  and  the  sacred  rivers  of  Para- 
dise, and  quaint  and  curious  wild  beasts  which 
probably  are  visual  traditions  of  the  antidilu- 
vian  monsters  that  once  inhabited  the  earth, 
and  were  still  supposed  to  dwell  in  unexplored 
places. 

The  vaulting  of  the  nave  is  sixty-two  feet 
high.  It  gave  plenty  of  room  for  the  two  gal- 
leries which  once  surmounted  the  elaborately 
carved  facade.  One  of  them  was  called  the 
Monks'  Garden,  because  it  was  covered  with 
soil  and  filled  with  brilliant  flowers. 

Back  of  the  choir  is  a  semicircular  colonnade. 
The  amount  of  detail  lavished  on  the  various 
columns  is  a  silent  witness  of  the  cheapness  of 
skilled  labour  and  of  the  time  people  had  to 
spend.  The  carved  choir  stalls,  completed  in 
1506,  were  somehow  spared  by  the  vandal  icon- 
oclasts of  the  Reformation;    but  thirty  years 


60  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

later  Bern,  when  taking  possession  of  Lau- 
sanne, carried  off  eighteen  wagon-loads  of 
paintings,  solid  gold  and  silver  statues,  rich 
vestments,  tapestries,  and  all  the  enormous 
wealth  contributed  to  the  treasures  of  the 
church. 

We  were  fortunate  to  find  the  cathedral  still 
open,  and  in  the  golden  afternoon  light  we 
slowly  strolled  through  the  silent  fane  —  the 
word  fane  always  sounds  well.  We  paused  in 
front  of  the  various  historic  tombs.  Especially 
interesting  was  that  dedicated  to  the  memory 
of  Otho  de  Grandson,  who,  having  been  charged 
with  having  instigated  the  murder  of  Amadee 
VII,  was  obliged  to  enter  into  a  judicial  duel 
with  Gerard  cl'Estavayer,  the  brother  of  the 
fair  Catherine  d'Estavayer  whom  he  expected 
to  marry. 

Gerard  apparently  stirred  up  great  hatred 
against  him.  Otho  had  in  his  favour  the  Co- 
lombiers,  the  Lasarraz,  the  Corsonex,  and  the 
Rougemonts ;  while  with  Gerard  were  the  Bar- 
ons de  Bussy,  de  Bonvillar,  de  Bellens,  de 
Wuisternens,  de  Blonay  and,  especially,  repre- 
sentatives of  the  powerful  family  of  d'lllens 
whose  great,  square  castle  is  still  pointed  out, 
beetling  over  the  Sarine  opposite  Arconciel. 
These  men  were  probably  jealous  of  Otho.    His 


Home  at  Lausanne  61 

friends  wore  a  knot  of  ribbons  on  the  tip  of 
their  pointed  shoes,  while  his  enemies  carried 
a  little  rake  over  their  shoulders. 

Otho  shouted  out  his  challenge  to  Gerard: 
"  You  lie  and  have  lied  every  time  you  have 
accused  me.  I  swear  it  by  God,  by  Saint  Anne 
and  by  the  Holy  Rood.  But  come  on!  I  will 
defend  myself  and  I  will  so  press  forward  that 
my  honour  will  be  splendidly  preserved.  But 
you  shall  be  esteemed  as  a  liar." 

So  Otho  made  the  sign  of  the  Cross  and 
threw  down  the  battle-gage.  But,  although  he 
was  undoubtedly  innocent,  the  battle  went 
against  him.  His  effigy  is  still  to  be  seen  in  the 
cathedral.  The  hands  resting  on  a  stone 
cushion  are  missing  but  this  probably  was  due 
to  some  accident  and  not  to  any  symbolism. 
This  all  happened  about  a  hundred  years  be- 
fore Columbus  discovered  America  —  in  1398. 

Here,  too,  lies  buried,  under  a  monument  by 
Bartolini,  Henrietta,  the  first  wife  of  Lord 
Stratford  de  Redcliffe,  minister  from  England 
to  Switzerland.    She  died  in  1818. 

There  are  monuments  also  commemorating 
the  Princess  Orlova,  who  was  poisoned  by 
Catharine  II  of  Russia,  and  Due  Amadee  VIII, 
who  caused  Savoy  to  be  erected  into  a  duchy 
and  became  Pope  Felix  V  in  1439,  after  he  had 


62  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

lived  for  a  while  in  a  hermitage  on  the  other 
shore  of  the  lake.  He  is  not  buried  in  the 
cathedral  but  his  intimate  connection  with  the 
history  of  Lausanne  is  properly  memorialized 
by  his  monument. 

A  city  is  like  an  iceberg.  Its  pinnacles  and 
buttresses  tower  aloft  and  glitter  in  the  sun; 
it  seems  built  to  last  for  ever.  But  it  is  not  so ; 
its  walls  melt  and  flow  away  and  are  put  to 
other  uses.  A  temple  changes  into  a  palace, 
and  a  fortification  is  torn  down  to  make  a  park. 
Where  are  the  fifty  chapels  that  once  flanked 
Notre  Dame  de  Lausanne?  Where  is  the  for- 
tified monastery  of  Saint  Francis?  Where  is 
the  lofty  tower  of  La  Grotte,  and  the  moat  in 
which  it  was  reflected? 

A  great  pageant  took  place  in  the  cathedral 
in  1476.  After  Charles  the  Bold,  Duke  of  Bur- 
gundy, had  been  defeated  at  Grandson,  he  col- 
lected what  remained  of  his  army  of  50,000 
men,  and  encamped  in  the  plains  of  Le  Loup. 
Then  on  Easter  Sunday,  he  attended  high 
mass.  The  cathedral  was  lavishly  decorated 
and  a  brilliant  throng  "  assisted  "  at  the  cere- 
monies. The  Duchess  Yolande  of  Savoy  came 
from  Geneva,  bringing  her  whole  court  and  an 
escort  of  three  thousand  horsemen.  The 
Pope's  legate  and  the  emperor's  ambassadors 


Home  at  Lausanne  63 

brought  their  followers,  while  representatives 
of  other  courts  were  on  hand,  for  the  occasion 
was  made  memorable  by  the  proclamation  of 
peace  between  the  duke  and  the  emperor. 
There  was  a  great  clanging  of  bells  and  fan- 
fare of  trumpets  and  the  whole  city  was  over- 
run with  soldiers.  The  commissary  depart- 
ment was  strained  to  feed  such  multitudes.  It 
is  said  that  an  English  knight,  serving  in  the 
duke's  army,  was  reduced  to  eating  gold;  at 
any  rate  his  skull  was  found  some  years  ago 
with  a  rose  noble  tightly  clenched  between  its 
teeth ! 

A  few  months  later  the  battle  of  Morat  was 
fought;  the  duke  was  defeated  and  Lausanne 
was  doubly  sacked,  first  by  the  Comte  de 
Gruyere  and,  a  few  hours  later,  by  his  allies, 
the  Bernese  troops,  who  spared  neither  public 
nor  private  edifices. 

Just  sixty  years  later  Lausanne  fell  defi- 
nitely into  the  hands  of  the  Bernese,  and  they, 
by  what  seems  an  almost  incredible  revival  of 
the  judicial  duel  —  only  with  spiritual  instead 
of  carnal  weapons  —  ordered  a  public  dispute 
on  religion  to  decide  whether  Catholicism  or 
Protestantism  should  be  the  religion  of  the 
city. 

The  comedian  of  the  occasion  seems  to  have 


64  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

been  the  lively  Dr.  Blancherose,  who  was  con- 
stantly interrupting  and  interpolating  irrele- 
vant remarks,  to  the  annoyance  of  the  other 
disputants  and  to  the  amusement  of  the  audi- 
ence which  packed  the  cathedral.  On  one  oc- 
casion he  declared  that  the  word  cephas  was 
Greek  and  meant  head;  Viret  replied  that  it 
was  a  Syriac  word  and  meant  stone.  The  Pope 
could  have  well  dispensed  wHh  such  an  advo- 
cate. 

The  superiority  of  the  Protestant  debaters 
resulted  in  converting  some  of  the  opposite 
party,  and  the  establishment  of  the  Academy 
of  Lausanne  was  the  direct  outcome  of  this  de- 
bate, which  was  declared  in  all  respects  fa- 
vourable to  the  Reformers. 

The  day  after  the  decision  was  rendered,  a 
crowd  of  bigots  broke  into  the  cathedral,  over- 
turned the  altars  and  the  crucifix,  and  dese- 
crated the  image  of  the  Virgin.  Workmen  were 
paid  for  fifteen  days  at  the  rate  of  four  and 
one  sixth  sous  a  day  to  clear  Notre  Dame  of 
its  altar-stones.  And  yet  Jean  Francois 
Naegueli  (or  Nageli),  when  he  took  possession 
of  Lausanne,  had  promised  to  protect  the  two 
Christian  faiths. 

It  is  a  question  whether  one  would  rather 
live  in  those  days  under  the  easy-going  regime 


Home  at  Lausanne  65 

of  the  superstitious  Catholics  or  under  that  of 
the  stern,  forbidding  bigotry  of  the  Protes- 
tants. Geneva  could  not  endure  the  latter  and 
banished  Farel  and  Calvin  two  years  later; 
but  back  they  came  and  established  the  tyranny 
more  solidly  than  ever.  Calvin  drove  Castellio 
out  of  Geneva,  caused  Jacques  Gruet  to  be  tor- 
tured and  put  to  death,  mainly  because  he 
danced  at  a  wedding  and  wore  new-fangled 
breeches,  and  had  Servetus  burned  at  the  stake. 
It  was  a  cruel  age. 

A  cloud  evidently  passed  over  the  face  of 
the  sun;  the  colours  in  the  great  rose  window 
grew  almost  pallid.  We  left  the  church  and 
again  stood  on  the  terrace. 

"  We  are  just  about  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
two  meters  above  the  lake,"  said  Will.  "  Do 
you  know,  in  the  harbour  of  Geneva  there  are 
two  big  rocks  which  the  early  inhabitants  of 
this  region  used  to  worship.  They  are  granite, 
or  protogen,  and  must  have  been  brought  down 
from  some  distant  mountain,  probably  from  the 
Saint-Bernard,  by  a  glacier.  In  the  old  Eoman 
days  they  were  worshipped.  On  the  top  of  one 
of  them  is  a  bronze  plaque,  put  there  in  1820  by 
General  Dufour,  and  regarded  as  the  standard, 
or  rather  the  base,  for  all  Swiss  hypsometry. 


66  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

If  you  want  to  know  how  high  above  the  level 
of  the  sea  the  Dent  du  Midi  is,  you  will  find  it 
on  the  map  '  R.  P.  N.'  plus  its  height  above  the 
plaque.  For  instance  the  Cathedral  here  is 
R.  P.  N.  plus  a  little  more  than  one  hundred  and 
fifty-two  meters.  But  the  queer  thing  is  that 
no  two  people  who  have  tried  to  correct  or 
verify  General  Dufour's  reckoning  of  the 
height  of  the  plaque  have  been  able  to  agree. 
General  Dufour  made  it  a  fraction  over  three 
hundred  and  seventy-six  meters  and  a  half, 
which  would  give  the  level  of  the  lake  as  three 
hundred  and  seventy-five  meters;  but  it  has 
since  been  corrected  to  a  bit  less  than  three 
hundred  and  seventy-three  meters  —  a  loss  of 
almost  ten  feet." 

"  What  does  that  mean  —  that  the  scientists 
blundered?  " 

' '  It  looks  to  me  as  if  the  whole  level  of  the 
valley  had  perhaps  settled.  Every  one  knows 
that  it  is  changing  all  the  time  —  but  come  on, 
I  want  you  to  see  the  cathedral  from  the  Place 
de  Saint  Laurent.    It  isn't  far  from  here.,, 

When  we  got  there  Will  stopped  and  said: 

"  There!  Isn't  that  worth  coming  for!  I 
wonder  if  there  is  any  other  cathedral  in  the 
world  that  has  a  more  magnificent  site." 

We  paused  for  some  time,  looking  up  at  its 


THE    CATHEDRAL,    LAUSANNE. 


Home  at  Lausanne  67 

solid  bulk,  which  seemed  to  touch  the  gather- 
ing clouds. 

"  I  brought  you  here  especially,"  continued 
Will,  "  because  one  of  Switzerland's  few  poets 
praises  its  aspect  from  this  spot.  He  says 
something  like  this:  '  It  is  a  great  crag  fixt 
there.  Contemplate  it  when  heavy  clouds  are 
passing  over.  Standing  below  it  and  letting 
your  eye  follow  the  radiant  field  which  creeps 
up  to  its  flanks,  you  imagine  that  it  grows 
larger  amid  the  wild  clouds  which  it  tears 
as  they  fly  over,  leaving  it  unshaken.  You 
might  believe  yourself  in  some  Alpine  valley, 
over  which  towers  a  solitary  peak  while  around 
it  cluster  the  mists  driven  by  the  wind.'  He 
grows  still  more  enthusiastic  at  the  beauty  of 
it  when  the  chestnut-trees  are  in  bloom,  con- 
trasting with  the  violet  roofs  below  and  sur- 
rounded by  the  azure  aureole  of  the  lake  and 
the  mountains  and  he  speaks  of  its  '  graceful 
energy  '  against  the  golden  background." 

"  Who  is  the  poet?  "  I  asked. 

"  Oh,  Juste  Olivier.  I  will  introduce  you  to 
him  some  day  —  I  mean  to  his  works.  He  him- 
self died  in  1876,  if  I  am  not  mistaken.  I  have 
the  two  volumes  which  his  friends  edited  as  a 
sort  of  memorial  to  him." 

"  I   didn't   suppose  there   were   any   Swiss 


68  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

poets  —  I  mean  great  Swiss  poets.  Of  course 
I  know  Hebel  —  " 

"  Yes,  back  in  Gibbon's  time,  the  society 
founded  by  his  friend  Deyverdun  discussed  the 
question,  '  Why  hasn't  the  Pays  de  Vaud  pro- 
duced any  poets?  '  Juste  Olivier  deliberately 
set  to  work  to  fill  the  gap." 

"  Did  he  succeed?  He  is  not  much  known 
outside  of  Switzerland,  is  he?  " 

"  Probably  not;  you  shall  see  for  yourself. 
But  I  remember  one  stanza  on  Liberty  which 
has  a  fine  swing  to  it  — 

V  '  La  Liberty  depuis  les  anciens  ages 

Jusqu'a  ceux  oil  flottent  nos  destins 
Aime  a  poser  ses  pieds  nus  et  sauvages 

Sur  les  gazons  qu'ombragent  nos  sapins. 
La,  sa  voix  forte  delate  et  s'associe 

Avec  la  foudre  et  ses  roulements  sourds. 
Nous  qui  t'aimons,  Helvetie,  Helv6tie, 

Nous  qui  t'aimons,  nous  t'aimerons  toujours.' 

That  is  a  fine  figure  —  Liberty  loving  to  set  her 
foot  on  the  soil  shaded  by  the  Swiss  pines,  — 
and  so  is  that  of  Helvetia  mingling  her  voice 
with  the  rolling  of  the  thunder.  That  stanza 
has  been  praised  as  one  of  the  finest  of  the 
century. ' ' 

As  we  leisurely  strolled  homeward  my 
nephew  called  my  attention  to  the  northern 


Home  at  Lausanne  69 

slope  of  the  Flon,  just  beyond  the  magnificent 
bridge,  Chauderon-Montbenon.  "  That,"  he 
remarked,  "  is  called  Boston." 

"  Why  is  that?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  unless  to  commemorate  the 
fact  that  Lausanne  is  built  on  three  hills.  The 
north  part  was  called  La  Cite,  that  to  the  south 
was  le  Bourg  —  the  Rue  du  Bourg  was  the 
court  end  of  the  town,  and  had  especial  priv- 
ileges —  and  the  western  side  was  called  Saint- 
Laurent.  It  was  only  a  little  town  when  Gib- 
bon came  here  to  live;  but  it  had  unusually 
good  society  and  there  was  a  great  deal  of 
wealth,  as  you  can  imagine  from  the  fine  old 
houses." 

"  Where  did  they  get  their  money?  " 

"  A  good  many  of  them  through  fortunate 
speculation.  The  men  used  to  seek  service  in 
foreign  countries.  It  is  surprising  how  many 
of  them  became  tutors  to  royal  or  princely 
families,  or,  if  they  were  trained  in  the  pro- 
fession of  arms,  got  commissions  as  officers  in 
Russia,  France,  Spain  and  Holland.  Some  of 
them  even  went  to  India  and  America.  A  good 
many  of  them  returned,  if  they  returned  at  all, 
with  handsome  fortunes." 

"  Isn't  it  strange  that  a  country  which  is  al- 
ways supposed  to  stand  for  liberty  and  patriot- 


70  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

ism  should,  next  the  Hessians,  furnish  the  very 
best  type  of  the  mercenary!  For  a  hundred 
years  the  French  kings  had  to  protect  them- 
selves with  a  Swiss  guard,  and  the  Pope's  fence 
of  six-footers  have  been  recruited  from  Lu- 
cerne and  the  Inner  Cantons  during  more  than 
four  centuries." 

"  Do  you  remember  what  Eousseau  said 
about  mercenary  military  service?  It  runs 
something  like  this:  i  I  think  every  one  owes 
his  life  to  his  country;  but  it  is  wrong  to  go 
over  to  princes  who  have  no  claim  on  you,  and 
still  worse  to  sell  yourself  and  turn  the  noblest 
profession  in  the  world  into  that  of  a  vile  mer- 
cenary.' But  Lausanne's  best  contribution  to 
foreign  countries  was  education.  The  Acad- 
emy, or  college  as  they  used  to  call  it,  attracted 
many  people  from  abroad.  Ever  since  it  was 
founded  —  and  the  Protestants  deserve  that 
credit  —  it  provided  remarkably  good  profes- 
sors and  lecturers.  The  old  families  that  had 
country  estates  got  into  the  habit  of  spending 
their  winters  in  town.  They  were  wonderfully 
interrelated  and  many  of  them,  through  mar- 
riage, had  several  baronies.  They  were  enor- 
mously proud  of  their  titles  and  position.  I 
have  recently  been  reading  Eousseau  —  espe- 
cially his  *  Nouvelle  Heloi'se  '  —  you  know  about 


Home  at  Lausanne  71 

a  year  ago  they  were  celebrating  the  two  hun- 
dredth anniversary  of  his  birth,  —  and  I  was 
struck  with  what  he  makes  Mylord  Edward 
Bomston  say  about  the  petty  aristocracy  of  this 
Pays  de  Vaud:  '  Why  does  this  noblesse  of 
which  you  are  so  proud  claim  such  honors? 
What  does  it  do  for  the  glory  of  the  country 
or  for  the  happiness  of  the  human  race?  Mor- 
tal enemy  of  laws  and  of  liberty,  what  has  it 
ever  produced  except  tyrannical  power  and  the 
oppression  of  the  people?  Do  you  dare  in  a 
republic  boast  of  a  condition  destructive  of  the 
virtues  and  of  humanity,  a  condition  which  pro- 
duces slavery  and  makes  one  blush  at  being  a 
man?  '  " 

"  It  seems  to  have  been  a  regular  feudal- 
ism." 

' '  It  was.  Gibbon  was  much  struck  by  the  un- 
fairness of  the  regime  which  obtained  in  his 
day,  and  he  speaks  somewhere  of  three  hun- 
dred families  born  to  command  and  of  a  hun- 
dred thousand,  of  equally  decent  descent, 
doomed  to  subjection.  They  used  to  have  a 
queer  custom  here,  for  a  man,  when  he  mar- 
ried, to  add  the  wife's  name  to  his  own.  .  .  .  " 

"  Just  as  in  Spain,"  I  interpolated. 

"  Yes,  only  hyphenated.  They  worked  the 
particle  de  to  death.    As  almost  every  one  of 


72  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

the  great  families  was  related  more  or  less 
closely  to  every  other,  and  the  estates  were 
constantly  passing  from  one  branch  to  another, 
a  man  would  at  one  time  be  Baron  de  Some- 
thing-or-other,  and  the  next  year,  perhaps, 
would  appear  with  quite  a  different  appella- 
tion. For  instance,  there  was  Madame  Secre- 
tan,  whose  family  name  was  taken  from  the 
Seigneurie  d'Arnex-sur-Orbe.  Antoine  d'Ar- 
nay  —  he  spelt  his  name  phonetically  —  was 
Seigneur  de  Montagny-la-Corbe,  co-seigneur  de 
Luxurier,  Seigneur  de  Saint-Martin-du-Chene 
and  Seigneur  de  Mollondin.  And  the  husband 
of  the  famous  Madame  de  Warens  appears 
under  several  aliases.    It  is  very  confusing. 

"  When  the  nobles  returned  with  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  francs,"  he  added,  "  they  spent 
their  money  royally.  Many  of  these  houses  are 
filled  with  splendid  carved  furniture  and  tap- 
estries. As  long  as  Bern  was  suzerain  of 
Vaud,  and  governed  it,  there  was  small  chance 
for  Government  service  and  this  state  of  things 
led  to  a  peculiar  atmosphere  —  one  of  frivolity 
and  pleasure-seeking.  The  men  hadn't  any- 
thing to  do  except  to  amuse  themselves  and 
few  were  the  years  when  some  foreign  prince 
was  not  studying  here  and  spending  any 
amount  of  money  in  dinners  and  dances." 


Home  at  Lausanne  73 

"  Yes,"  said  I,  "  considering  that  Lausanne 
was  in  the  very  centre  of  Calvinism,  it  must 
have  been  pretty  gay.  I  suppose  the  influence 
of  France  was  even  stronger  than  that  of  Ge- 
neva or  Bern.,, 

By  this  time  we  had  reached  our  own  street 
and  were  climbing  the  flight  of  steps  that  led 
to  the  handsomely  arched  portal. 


CHAPTER   V 

GIBBON   AT   LAUSANNE 

HE  next  day  it  rained.  The  whole 
valley  was  filled  with  mist.  The 
sudois,  as  they  call  the  southwest 
wind,  moaned  about  the  windows. 
But  I  did  not  care ;  explorations  or  excursions 
were  merely  postponed.  There  would  be 
plenty  of  time,  and  it  was  a  pleasure  to  spend 
a  quiet  day  in  the  library.  We  devoted  it 
mainly  to  Gibbon  and  old  Lausanne  —  that  is, 
the  Lausanne  of  Gibbon's  day,  and,  before  we 
were  tired  of  the  subject,  I  think  we  had  visual- 
ized the  vain,  witty,  delightful,  pompous,  lazy, 
learned  exile  who  so  loved  his  "  Fanny  Lau- 
sanne," as  he  liked  to  call  the  little  town. 

When  he  first  arrived  there  from  England, 
he  was  only  sixteen  —  a  nervous,  impression- 
able, ill-educated  youth.  He  had  been  con- 
verted to  Roman  Catholicism,  and,  glorying 
in  it  with  all  the  ardour  of  an  acolyte,  he  was 
taken  seriously  by  the  college  authorities  at 
Oxford  and  expelled.  His  father  had  to  do 
something  with  him;  he  was  just  about  to  get 

74 


Gibbon  at  Lausanne  75 

married  for  the  second  time  and,  as  the  boy 
would  be  in  his  way,  he  decided  to  "  rusticate  " 
him  in  Lausanne. 

It  was  arranged  that  young  Gibbon  should 
be  put  into  the  care  of  the  worthy  Pastor 
Daniel  Pavilliard,  a  rather  unusually  broad- 
minded,  sweet-tempered,  and  highly  educated 
professor,  the  secretary  and  librarian  of  the 
Academy,  afterwards  its  principal.  He  was 
then  probably  living  in  the  parsonage  of  the 
First  Deacon  in  the  Rue  de  la  Cite  derriere, 
now  a  police-station,  a  picturesque  house  with 
high  roof,  with  long  vaulted  corridors  and  wide 
galleries  in  the  rear,  from  which  could  be  seen 
the  Alps  beyond  the  Flon  and  the  heights  to 
the  southeast  of  the  city. 

The  plan  of  giving  the  boy  a  good  cold  bath 
of  Presbyterianism  worked  better  than  would 
have  been  believed  possible.  Like  a  piece  of 
hot  iron  dipped  into  ice-water  he  came  out 
quite  changed.  He  hissed  and  sizzled  for  a 
while,  and  then  hardened  into  a  free-thinker. 
It  is  odd  how  people  can  throw  off  a  form  of 
religion  as  if  it  were  a  cloak. 

It  was  a  trying  experience  for  the  lad. 
Madame  Pavilliard,  whose  name  was  Carbo- 
nella,  did  not  pattern  after  her  husband.  Ac- 
cording to  Gibbon  she  was  narrow,  mean  and 


76  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

grasping,  disagreeable  and  lacking  in  refine- 
ment. He  could  not  speak  French;  they  could 
not  speak  English.  He  gives  a  pathetic  account 
of  his  misery ;  telling  how  he  was  obliged  to  ex- 
change an  elegant  apartment  in  Magdalen  Col- 
lege "  for  a  narrow,  gloomy  street,  the  most 
infrequented  of  an  unhandsome  town,  for  an 
old  inconvenient  house  and  for  a  small  cham- 
ber, ill-contrived  and  ill-furnished,  which  at 
the  approach  of  winter,  instead  of  a  com- 
panionable fire,  must  be  warmed  by  the  dull, 
invisible  heat  of  a  stove."  His  earliest  entry 
in  the  diary  which  he  kept  said :  —  "  First  as- 
pect horrid  —  house,  slavery,  ignorance,  exile.' ' 
He  felt  that  his  ' '  condition  seemed  as  destitute 
of  hope  as  it  was  devoid  of  pleasure." 

After  a  while,  however,  his  natural  good 
spirits  rallied.  He  wrote  his  father:  *>'  The 
people  here  are  extremely  civil  to  strangers, 
and  endeavor  to  make  this  town  as  agreeable 
as  possible." 

He  began  to  join  the  young  people  in  making 
excursions,  and  he  wrote  home  asking  permis- 
sion to  take  riding  lessons.  Pastor  Pavilliard 
encouraged  him  to  join  in  the  gayeties  of  the 
town.  There  were  dances;  there  were  con- 
certs with  violins,  harpsichords,  flutes  and 
singing, 


Gibbon  at  Lausanne  77 

He  soon  made  the  acquaintance  of  Georges 
Deyverdun,  a  young  man  a  little  older  than 
himself,  of  high  character  and  aristocratic  con- 
nections. Deyverdun 's  early  diaries  are  extant 
and  often  mention  walking  with  M.  de  Guiben 
or  de  Guibon.  They  became  life-long  friends. 
A  book  which  had  great  influence  on  Gibbon 
was  a  u  Logic  "  written  by  Professor  Jean 
Pierre  de  Crousaz,  who,  after  a  life  of  great 
honours  and  wide  experiences,  had  died  three 
years  before  Gibbon's  arrival  at  Lausanne. 

Voltaire  wrote  him :  ' '  You  have  made  Lau- 
sanne the  temple  of  the  Muses  and  you  have 
more  than  once  caused  me  to  say  that,  if  I  had 
been  able  to  leave  France,  I  would  have  with- 
drawn to  Lausanne." 

De  Crousaz 's  "  Logic  "  fortified  Gibbon  to 
engage  in  a  battle  for  his  faith.  He  had  lively 
discussions  with  Pavilliard,  but  gradually 
"  the  various  articles  of  the  Romish  creed 
disappeared  like  a  dream;  "  and  after  a  full 
conviction,  on  Christmas-day,  1754,  he  re- 
ceived the  sacrament  in  the  church  of  Lau- 
sanne. 

Gibbon's  "  return  to  the  light  "  caused  a 
lively  joy  in  the  Assembly  which  voted  that 
the  Dean  should  congratulate  him  on  such  a 
sensible   act.     He   was   examined   and   found 


78  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

"  perfectly  enlightened  upon  religion  and  re- 
markably well  informed  on  all  and  each  of  the 
articles  separating  them  from  the  Church  of 
Rome." 

Whether  Gibbon  may  not  have  had  a  weather 
eye  open  to  material  benefits  at  home  is  a 
question  which  falls  with  several  other  of  his 
expressions  of  opinion.  He  had  a  wealthy 
aunt  who  was  much  offended  by  his  defection 
from  her  Church.  Only  a  month  later  Pastor 
Pavilliard  wrote  this  Mrs.  Porten :  — 

"  I  hope,  Madame,  that  you  will  acquaint 
Mr.  Gibbon  with  your  satisfaction  and  restore 
him  to  your  affection,  which,  though  his  errors 
may  have  shaken,  they  have  not,  I  am  sure, 
destroyed.  As  his  father  has  allowed  him  but 
the  bare  necessities,  I  dare  beg  of  you  to  grant 
him  some  token  of  your  satisfaction." 

In  the  Autumn  of  1755  Gibbon  and  his 
guardian  made  "  a  voyage  "  through  Swit- 
zerland by  way  of  Yverdun,  Neuchatel,  Bienne, 
Soleure,  Bale,  Baden,  Zurich,  Lucerne  and 
Bern.  He  kept  a  journal  of  his  experiences, 
written  in  not  very  accurate  French.  He  was 
more  interested  in  castles  and  history,  in  per- 
sons and  customs  than  in  scenery;  indeed,  he 
scarcely  mentions  the  magnificence  of  the 
mountains,  but  he  devotes  considerable  space 


Gibbon  at  Lausanne  79 

to  the  linen-market  of  Langental  and  the  sur- 
prising wealth  of  the  peasantry,  some,  he  says, 
having  as  much  as  six  hundred  thousand 
francs.  He  explained  it  by  the  profits  from 
their  linen  and  their  cattle  and  especially  by 
their  great  thrift.  Fathers  brought  up  their 
children  to  work  and  to  be  contented  with 
their  state  in  life  —  simple  peasants ;  they 
wore  fine  linen  and  fine  cloth,  but  wore  peas- 
ants' clothes;  they  had  fine  horses,  but 
plowed  with  them;  and  they  preferred  that 
their  daughters  marry  persons  in  their  own 
condition  rather  than  those  who  might  bring 
them  titles. 

On  reaching  Bern  he  gives  no  description 
of  the  city  but  elaborately  explains  the  curious 
system  of  government  which  obtained  there. 
The  inhabitants,  he  thought,  were  inclined  to 
be  proud,  but  he  found  a  philosophical  cause 
for  it,  and  wondered  that  more  of  the  natives 
were  not  guilty  of  that  sin.  He  thought  the 
environs  of  Bern  had  not  a  cheerful  appear- 
ance, but  were  on  the  contrary  rather  wild. 

Soon  after  his  return  began  the  one  romantic 
episode  in  Gibbon's  life  —  his  love  affair  with 
Suzanne  Curchod,  daughter  of  the  Protestant 
pastor  at  Crassy  or  Crassier,  a  village  on  the 
lower  slopes  of  the  Jura,  between  Lausanne 


80  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

and  Geneva.  Gibbon  himself  tells  what  she 
was:  "  The  wit,  the  beauty,  the  erudition  of 
Mile.  Curchod  were  the  theme  of  universal 
applause.  The  report  of  such  a  prodigy  awa- 
kened my  curiosity ;  I  saw  and  loved.  I  found 
her  learned  without  pedantry,  lively  in  con- 
versation, pure  in  sentiment,  and  elegant  in 
manners;  and  the  first  sudden  emotion  was 
fortified  by  the  habits  and  knowledge  of  a  more 
familiar  acquaintance. ' ' 

She  had  fair  hair,  and  soft  blue  eyes  which, 
when  her  pretty  mouth  smiled,  lighted  up  with 
peculiar  charm;  she  was  rather  tall  and  well 
proportioned;    an  extremely  attractive  girl. 

The  young  men  and  women,  particularly  of 
La  Cite,  had  formed  a  literary  society,  at  first 
called  l'Academie  de  la  Poudriere  but  after- 
wards reorganized  and  renamed  "  from  the 
age  of  its  members  "  La  Societe  du  Printemps. 

Suzanne  was  the  president  of  this  society. 
They  used  to  discuss  such  questions  as  these: 
"  Does  an  element  of  mystery  make  love  more 
agreeable?  "  "  Can  there  be  a  friendship  be- 
tween a  man  and  a  woman  in  the  same  way  as 
between  two  women  or  two  men?  "  and  the 
like. 

Suzanne  seems  to  have  been  inclined  to 
treat  young  theological  students  in  somewhat 


Gibbon  at  Lausanne  81 

the  same  way  as  fishermen  play  salmon  when 
they  are  "  killing  "  them.  Her  friends  ex- 
postulated with  her  on  her  cruelty. 

Gibbon,  who  had  the  reputation  of  being  the 
son  of  a  wealthy  Englishman,  caused  her  to 
forget  the  sighing  students.  At  that  time  he 
must  have  been  an  attractive  youth  —  that  is, 
if  we  can  put  any  confidence  in  her  own  de- 
scription of  him.  After  praising  his  beautiful 
hair  and  aristocratic  hand,  his  air  of  good- 
breeding,  and  his  intellectual  face  and  his 
vivacity  of  expression,  she  crowns  her  en- 
comium by  declaring  that  he  understood  the 
respect  due  to  women,  and  that  his  courtesy 
was  easy  without  verging  on  familiarity.  She 
adds:  "  He  dances  moderately  well." 

They  became  affianced  lovers.  Years  after- 
wards, Gibbon  in  his  autobiography  declared 
that  he  had  no  cause  to  blush  at  recollecting 
the  object  of  his  choice.  u  Though  my  love," 
he  says,  "  was  disappointed  of  success,  I  am 
rather  proud  that  I  was  once  capable  of  feeling 
such  a  pure  and  exalted  sentiment.  The  per- 
sonal attractions  of  Mademoiselle  Susan 
Curchod  were  embellished  by  the  virtues  and 
talents  of  her  mind.  Her  fortune  was  humble, 
but  her  family  was  respectable." 

He  visited  at  her  parents '  home  — ' '  happy 


82  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

days,"  he  called  them  —  in  the  mountains  of 
Burgundy,  and  the  connection  was  honourably 
encouraged.  She  seems  to  have  made  it  a 
condition  of  her  engagement  that  he  should 
always  live  in  Switzerland.  When  he  returned 
to  England  in  1758  he  found  that  his  father 
opposed  the  match,  and  evidently  his  love 
speedily  cooled.  The  absence  of  letters  does 
not  necessarily  prove  that  none  were  written, 
but  certainly  there  was  no  lively  correspond- 
ence, and  at  length,  after  a  lapse  of  four  years, 
he  calmly  informs  the  young  lady  that  he  must 
renounce  her  for  ever,  and  he  lays  the  blame 
on  his  father,  who,  he  says,  considered  it 
cruelty  to  desert  him  and  send  him  prema- 
turely to  the  grave,  and  cowardice  to  trample 
underfoot  his  duty  to  his  country. 

Considering  the  fact  that  Father  Gibbon 
was  busily  engaged  in  dissipating  his  fortune, 
and  had  endured  his  son's  absence  for  many 
years,  this  excuse  strikes  one  as  decidedly  thin. 
At  the  end  of  his  letter  of  renunciation  he  de- 
sires to  be  remembered  to  Suzanne's  father 
and  mother.  Pastor  Curchod  had  been  dead 
two  years,  and  Suzanne  was  then  living  in 
Geneva,  where  she  was  supporting  herself  and 
her  mother  by  teaching. 

Just  ten  years  after  his  first  arrival  at  Lau- 


Gibbon  at  Lausanne  83 

sanne,  Gibbon  made  a  visit  there  on  that  mem- 
orable journey  to  Rome  which  resulted  in  the 
writing  of  his  history.  He  made  no  attempt 
to  see  Suzanne,  who  seems  to  have  deceived 
herself  with  the  hope  that  his  indifference  was 
only  imaginary.  She  wrote  him  that  for  five 
years  she  had  sacrificed  to  this  chimera  by  her 
"  unique  and  inconceivable  behavior."  She 
begged  him  on  her  knees  to  convince  her  of  her 
madness  in  loving  him  and  to  end  her  uncer- 
tainty. 

She  got  a  letter  from  him  that  brought  her 
to  her  senses.  She  replied  that  she  had  sacri- 
ficed her  happiness  not  to  him  but,  rather,  to 
an  imaginary  being  which  could  have  existed 
only  in  a  silly,  romantic  brain  like  hers,  and, 
having  had  her  eyes  opened,  he  resumed  his 
place  as  a  mere  man  with  all  other  men;  in- 
deed, although  she  had  so  idealized  him  that  he 
seemed  to  be  the  only  man  she  could  have  ever 
loved,  he  was  now  least  attractive  to  her  be- 
cause he  bore  the  least  possible  resemblance  to 
her  chimerical  ideal. 

Gibbon  chronicled  in  his  diary  in  September, 
1763,  the  receipt  of  one  of  Suzanne's  letters, 
and  in  questionable  French  he  called  her  "  a 
dangerous  and  artificial  girl  "  {"  une  file  dan- 
gereux    et   artificielle  ")    and    adds:  — "  This 


84  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

singular  affair  in  all  its  details  has  been  very 
useful  to  me;  it  has  opened  my  eyes  to  the 
character  of  women  and  will  long  serve  as  a 
safeguard  against  the  seductions  of  love." 

Suzanne  was  no  Cassandra,  either;  the  very 
next  year  she  married  the  young  Genevan 
banker,  Jacques  Necker,  then  minister  for  the 
Republic  of  Geneva  at  Paris. 

About  two  years  later  Gibbon  wrote  to  his 
friend,  J.  B.  Holroyd :  — 

"  The  Curchod  (Madame  Necker)  I  saw  in 
Paris.  She  was  very  fond  of  me,  and  the  hus- 
band particularly  civil.  Could  they  insult  me 
more  cruelly?  Ask  me  every  evening  to  sup- 
per; go  to  bed  and  leave  me  alone  with  his 
wife.  What  an  impertinent  security!  It  is 
making  an  old  lover  of  mighty  little  conse- 
quence. She  is  as  handsome  as  ever;  seems 
pleased  with  her  fortune  rather  than  proud  of 
it." 

The  Platonic  friendship  was  never  again 
ruffled;  if  anything  it  grew  more  confidential 
and  almost  sentimental.  The  Neckers  visited 
Gibbon  in  London  more  than  once,  and,  when 
political  and  financial  storms  drove  them  from 
Paris,  Gibbon  found  their  Barony  of  Copet  (as 
he  spells  it  —  he  was  not  very  strong  in  spell- 
ing!) a  most  delightful  harbour,  though  he  was 


Gibbon  at  Lausanne  85 

too  indolent  to  go  there  very  often.  This  was 
in  after  years,  when  Lausanne  again  became  his 
home. 

He  had  published  the  first  volume  of  his 
history  of  ' '  The  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman 
Empire,"  and  had  immediately  leaped  into 
fame.  The  same  year  Necker  was  made  Di- 
rector of  the  Treasury  of  France,  and  began 
that  remarkable  career  of  success  and  disap- 
pointment. Perhaps  his  greatest  glory  was  his 
daughter,  afterwards  so  well  known  as  Ma- 
dame de  Stael,  whose  loyalty  to  him  in  all  the 
vicissitudes  of  his  life  was  one  of  her  loveliest 
characteristics. 

Gibbon  was  back  in  Lausanne  again  in  1783 ; 
he  seems  to  have  reckoned  time  in  lustrums, 
his  dates  there  being  1753,  1763  and  1783,  and 
he  returned  to  London  in  1793  where  he  died 
the  following  year,  just  a  century  after  Vol- 
taire was  born.  He  certainly  had  pleasant 
memories  of  Lausanne  and,  after  losing  his  one 
public  office,  and  the  salary  which  came  in  so 
handy,  he  formed  what  his  friends  called  the 
mad  project  of  taking  up  his  permanent  resi- 
dence there.  This  came  about  through  his  old- 
time  friend,  Georges  Deyverdun,  who  through 
the  death  of  relatives  and  particularly  of  an 
aristocratic  old  aunt,  had  come  into  possession 


86  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

of  the  estate  known  as  La  Grotte,  one  of  the 
most  interesting  historical  buildings  in  the 
town,  with  memories  covering  centuries  of 
ecclesiastical  history.  He  and  Deyverdun 
formed  a  project  whereby  the  two  should 
combine  their  housekeeping  resources  and 
live  in  a  sort  of  mutually  dependent  independ- 
ence. 

Gibbon  had  a  very  pretty  wit.  A  year  or  two 
after  he  had  taken  this  decisive  step,  had  bade 
a  long  farewell  to  the  "  fumum  et  opes  strepi- 
tumque  Romae,"  and  had  sold  his  property  and 
moved  with  his  books  to  Lausanne,  the  report 
reached  London  that  the  celebrated  Mr.  Gib- 
bon, who  had  retired  to  Switzerland  to  finish 
his  valuable  history,  was  dead.  Gibbon  wrote 
his  best  friend,  Holroyd,  who  was  now  Lord 
Sheffield :  —  "  There  are  several  weighty  rea- 
sons which  would  incline  me  to  believe  that  the 
intelligence  may  be  true.  Primo,  It  must  one 
day  be  true ;  and  therefore  may  very  probably 
be  so  at  present.  Secundo,  We  may  always  de- 
pend on  the  impartiality,  accuracy  and  veracity 
of  an  English  newspaper."  —  And  so  he  goes 
on. 

In  another  letter,  after  speaking  of  his  old 
enemy,  the  gout,  and  assuring  Sheffield  that 
he  had  never  regretted  his  exile,  he  pays  his 


Gibbon  at  Lausanne  87 

respects  to  his  fellow-countrymen:  "  The  only- 
disagreeable  circumstance,"  he  says,  "  is  the 
increase  of  a  race  of  animals  with  which  this 
country  has  been  long  infested,  and  who  are 
said  to  come  from  an  island  in  the  Northern 
Ocean.  I  am  told,  but  it  seems  incredible,  that 
upwards  of  forty  thousand  English,  masters 
and  servants,  are  now  absent  on  the  Con- 
tinent. ' ' 

Byron,  a  third  of  a  century  later,  had  the 
same  ill  opinion  of  his  fellow-countrymen :  — 
11  Switzerland,"  he  wrote  Moore,  "  is  a  curst 
selfish  country  of  brutes,  placed  in  the  most 
romantic  regions  of  the  world.  I  never  could 
bear  the  inhabitants  and  still  less  their  English 
visitors." 

In  a  somewhat  different  spirit  Lord 
Houghton  pays  his  respects  to  the  throng  of 
foreigners  who  find  pleasure  and  recreation 
and  health  in  Switzerland.    He  says :  — 

"  Within  the  Switzer's  varied  land 

When  Summer  chases  high  the  snow, 
You'll  meet  with  many  a  youthful  band 

Of  strangers  wandering  to  and  fro: 
Through  hamlet,  town  and  healing  bath 

They  haste  and  rest  as  chance  may  call; 
No  day  without  its  mountain-path, 

No  path  without  its  waterfall. 


88  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

"  They  make  the  hours  themselves  repay 

However  well  or  ill  be  shared, 
Content  that  they  should  wing  their  way, 

Unchecked,  unreckoned,  uncompared: 
For  though  the  hills  unshapely  rise 

And  he  the  colours  poorly  bright,  — 
They  mould  them  by  their  cheerful  eyes 

And  paint  them  with  their  spirits  light. 

"  Strong  in  their  youthfulness  they  use 

The  energies  their  souls  possess; 
And  if  some  wayward  scene  refuse 

To  pay  its  part  of  loveliness,  — 
Onward  they  pass  nor  less  enjoy 

For  what  they  leave;  —  and  far  from  me 
Be  every  thought  that  would  destroy 

A  charm  of  that  simplicity!  " 

Gibbon  and  Deyverdun  were  remarkably 
congenial;  interested  in  the  same  studies  and 
the  same  people.  Which  was  the  more  indolent 
of  the  two  it  would  be  hard  to  say.  But  by  this 
time  Gibbon  had  grown  into  the  comically  gro- 
tesque figure  which  somehow  adds  to  his  fas- 
cination. He  had  become  excessively  stout; 
his  little  "  potato-nose  "  was  lost  between  his 
bulbous  cheeks;  his  chin  was  bolstered  up  by 
the  flying  buttress  of  much  superfluous  throat. 
He  had  red  hair.  A  contemporary  poem  de- 
scribes him:  — 


Gibbon  at  Lausanne  89 

"  His  person  looked  as  funnily  obese 
As  if  a  pagod,  growing  large  as  man, 
Had  rashly  waddled  off  its  chimney-piece, 
To  visit  a  Chinese  upon  a  fan. 
Such  his  exterior;  curious  'twas  to  scan! 
And  oft  he  rapped  his  snuff-box,  cocked  his  snout, 

And  ere  his  polished  periods  he  began 
Bent  forward,  stretching  his  forefinger  out, 
And  talked  in  phrases  round  as  he  was  round  about." 

Early  in  his  career  Gibbon  was  rather  care- 
less in  his  dress,  but  he  could  not  afford  not  to 
be  in  style  as  the  lion  of  Lausanne,  and  he  had 
any  number  of  changes  of  apparel.  He  had  a 
valet  de  chambre,  a  cook  who  was  not  put  out 
if  he  had  forty,  or  even  fifty,  guests  at  a  dinner, 
and  who  received  wages  of  twelve  or  fifteen 
livres  a  month  —  a  little  more  than  a  dollar  a 
week,  but  money  went  farther  in  those  primi- 
tive days  —  he  had  a  gardener,  a  coachman 
and  two  other  men.  Altogether  he  paid  out  for 
service  a  little  more  than  eleven  hundred  livres 
a  year.  He  spent  generously,  also,  for  various 
magazines  and  other  periodicals,  French  and 
English,  and  he  was  constantly  adding  to  his 
library.  After  the  French  Eevolution,  when 
many  French  emigres  came  to  Lausanne,  there 
were  loud  complaints  at  the  increased  cost  of 
living. 


90  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

In  1788  Gibbon  required  a  new  maid-servant 
and  his  faithful  friend,  Madame  de  Severin, 
recommended  one  to  him  in  these  terms :  — 

"  She  will  make  confitures,  compotes,  winter- 
salads,  dried  preserves  in  summer;  she  will 
take  charge  of  the  fine  linen  and  will  herself 
look  after  the  kitchen  service.  She  will  keep 
everything  neat  and  orderly  in  the  minutest 
details.  She  will  take  care  of  the  silver  in  the 
English  fashion;  she  can  do  the  ironing;  she 
can  set  the  table  in  ornamental  style.  You  must 
entrust  everything  to  her  (except  the  wine) 
by  count ;  so  many  candles,  so  many  wax-tapers 
in  fifty-pound  boxes;  so  much  tea,  coffee  and 
sugar.  The  oftener  the  counting  is  made,  the 
more  careful  they  are;  three  minutes  every 
Sunday  will  suffice.  I  have  excepted  nothing 
of  what  can  be  expected  of  a  housekeeper.  She 
will  look  after  the  poultry-yard.  She  will  make 
the  ices  and  all  the  pastry  and  all  the  bonbons, 
if  desired,  but  it  is  more  economical  to  buy  the 
latter." 

Gibbon  was  generous  to  others;  he  sub- 
scribed to  various  charities  and  he  paid  all  the 
expenses  of  an  orphan  boy,  Samuel  Pache. 

Lord  Sheffield's  daughter,  Maria  Holroyd, 
could  not  understand  why  he  should  prefer 
Lausanne  to  London.    She  declared  that  there 


Gibbon  at  Lausanne  91 

was  not  a  single  person  there  whom  he  could 
meet  on  a  footing  of  equality  or  on  his  height; 
she  thought  it  was  a  proof  of  the  power  of 
flattery.  But  there  were  always  distinguished 
visitors  at  Lausanne,  and  Gibbon  knew  them 
all.  His  letters  are  full  of  references  to  the 
celebrities  whom  he  is  cultivating. 

He  writes  to  Lady  Sheffield  to  tell  her  how 
he  "  walked  on  our  terrace  "  with  Mr.  Tissot, 
the  celebrated  physician;  Mr.  Mercier,  the 
author  of  the  "  Tableau  de  Paris;  "  the  Abbe 
Raynal,  author  of  "  L'Histoire  Philosophique 
des  Etablissements  et  du  Commerce  des  Euro- 
peans dans  les  deux  Indes,"  the  clever  free- 
thinker with  whom  Dr.  Johnson  refused  to  shake 
hands  because  he  was  an  infidel ;  M.  and  Mme. 
Necker;  the  Abbe  de  Bourbon,  a  natural  son 
of  Louis  XV;  the  hereditary  Prince  of  Bruns- 
wick; Prince  Henry  of  Prussia;  "  and  a  dozen 
counts,  barons  and  extraordinary  persons, 
among  whom  was  a  natural  son  of  the  Empress 
of  Russia." 

In  London,  great  as  he  was  (even  though  he 
was  a  Lieutenant  Colonel  Commandant  and 
Member  of  Parliament),  he  had  found  himself 
eclipsed  by  larger  and  brighter  planets;  in 
Lausanne  he  was  the  bright  particular  star. 
11  I  expected,"  he  says,  "  to  have  enjoyed,  with 


92  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

more  freedom  and  solitude,  myself,  my  friend, 
my  books  and  this  delicious  paradise;  but  my 
position  and  character  make  me  here  a  sort  of 
public  character  and  oblige  me  to  see  and  be 
seen." 

He  used  to  give  great  dinners.  Thus,  in  1792, 
the  beautiful  and  witty  Duchess  of  Devonshire 
made  a  visit  to  Lausanne  and  Gibbon  gave  her 
a  dinner  with  fourteen  covers.  The  year  be- 
fore he  gave  a  ball  at  which  at  midnight  one 
hundred  and  fifty  guests  sat  down  to  supper. 
He  was  well  pleased  with  it  and  boasted  that 
11  the  music  was  good,  the  lights  splendid,  the 
refreshments  abundant."  He  himself  went  to 
bed  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  left  the 
others  to  dance  till  seven.  It  was  as  common 
in  those  days,  even  in  Calvinistic  Lausanne,  to 
dance  all  night  as  it  is  now  in  stylish  society. 
He  had  assemblies  every  Sunday  evening,  and 
rarely  did  a  day  pass  without  his  either  dining 
out  or  entertaining  guests  at  his  own  hospitable 
board. 

In  a  pleasure-loving  community  like  that  of 
Lausanne  eating  was  one  of  the  chief  employ- 
ments of  life.  On  their  menus  they  had  all 
kinds  of  game,  for  hunting  was  one  of  the 
recreations  of  the  gentry  of  the  lake  shore,  and 
they  brought  home  hares,  partridges,  quails, 


Gibbon  at  Lausanne  93 

wood-cock  from  the  Jura,  heath-hens,  roe-bucks 
and  that  royal  game,  the  wild-boar,  not  to  speak 
of  the  red  foxes  and  an  occasional  wolf  or  bear. 

A  party  would  leave  one  house  and  drive  or 
ride  out  into  the  country  and  come  in  upon 
some  baronial  family  which  would  be  hard  put 
to  it  to  accommodate  so  many  —  ladies  and 
gentlemen  and  their  valets  and  maids.  On 
such  occasions  they  would  have  to  send  out  and 
borrow  porcelain  plates,  glass  compote  dishes, 
silverware  of  every  kind.  How  they  managed 
the  cooking  for  such  large  dinner-parties  is  a 
mystery.  On  one  occasion  my  Lord  Bruce  gave 
a  ball  in  honour  of  the  Queen  of  England's 
birthday.  There  were  between  one  and  two 
hundred  people  invited.  Fifty  sat  down  in  the 
big  room  of  the  Eedout,  twenty  in  the  Green 
Room.  On  an  earlier  occasion  the  genial  Prince 
of  "Wurtemberg  gave  a  ball  and  eighty  sat  down 
to  a  supper  costing  fifteen  louis  d'or  for  each 
person. 

On  less  formal  evenings  the  guests,  after 
eating  their  dinner,  would  go  to  some  other 
house  and  have  a  "  veille,"  where  they  played 
such  games  as  "  Twelve  Questions  "  or  "  Com- 
merce "  or  "  Loto  "  or  took  part  in  acting 
charades. 

One  season  La  Generale  de  Charriere  wrote 


94  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

a  little  play  in  verse  entitled  "  L'Oiseau  vert  " 
—  "  The  Green  Bird."  This  mythical  creature 
personated  Truth,  just  as  Maeterlinck's  "  Blue 
Bird  "  personates  Happiness.  The  Green 
Bird  is  consulted  by  various  characters  and 
replies  in  piquant  verse.  Mr.  Gibbon,  who  is 
represented  as  "  un  gros  homme  de  tres  bonne 
facon,"  asks  the  bird  to  indicate  his  country, 
and  the  bird  replies  that,  by  his  gentle  and 
polished  mien,  he  would  be  taken  for  a  French- 
man; by  his  knowledge,  his  energy,  his  wri- 
tings and  his  success,  his  wit,  his  philosophy, 
the  depth  of  his  genius,  it  might  be  suspected 
that  he  was  an  Englishman;  but  his  real  coun- 
try is  that  to  which  his  heart  had  brought  him, 
where  he  is  loved,  and  they  tell  him  so,  and 
where  he  must  spend  his  life.  Gibbon  used  to 
speak  of  himself  as  a  Swiss  —  nous  autres 
Suisses  —  until  the  French  Revolution  broke 
out;    that  scared  him. 

They  also  had  musicales.  Deyverdun  liked 
to  play  the  spinet.  One  evening  the  Saxon 
Comte  de  Cellemberg,  being  present  at  the 
house  of  the  Saint-Cierges',  "  sang  delicious 
airs  and  played  the  clavecin  like  a  great 
master."  On  another  occasion  Madame 
de  Waalwyck,  daughter-in-law  to  Madame 
d'Orges,    gave    a    concert    at    which    all    the 


Gibbon  at  iiausanne  95 

chief  musicians  of  Lausanne,  more  than 
twenty  in  number,  took  part.  Again,  Ben- 
jamin Constant  de  Rebecque,  who  after- 
wards won  fame  by  calling  Napoleon  a  Genghis 
Khan,  —  he  was  one  of  the  great  men  of  his 
day,  —  made  his  appearance  as  a  musician, 
and  a  Herr  Koppen,  in  the  service  of  the 
Duchesse  de  Courland,  played  the  flute  and 
made  up  such  horrible  faces  and  grimaces  that 
people  could  not  help  laughing. 

They  also  had  elaborate  picnics  on  the  shores 
of  the  lake,  or  in  the  glorious  forest  back  of 
the  city.  Their  favourite  place  was  the  grove 
of  Saint-Sulpice.  There  they  would  spread  a 
great  table  under  the  trees  and  have  chocolate, 
coffee,  good  butter,  and  thick  cream  at  noon. 
To  one  of  these  festivities  came  the  Duchess  of 
Wiirtemberg  in  grand  style,  in  a  coach  drawn 
by  six  horses,  and  dressed  in  a  taffetas  robe 
and  a  tremendous  hat.  The  real  picnic  dinner 
followed  and  all  had  huge  appetites,  fostered 
by  the  open  air.  Then  appeared  in  the  distance 
a  great  boat  accompanied  by  musicians. 
Young  girls,  dressed  like  shepherds,  presented 
baskets  of  flowers.  A  touch  of  distinction  was 
added  by  the  arrival  of  the  bishop.  Every 
one  was  gay  and  happy.  Dejardin  and  his 
musicians  played.     They  had  country  dances, 


96  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

allemandes  and  rondes.  It  was  a  pretty  sight 
—  the  gay  equipages  and  liveries,  the  pretty 
girls.  The  people  of  Saint-Sulpice  clustered 
around.  The  rustic  touch  was  communicated 
by  sheep  and  cows.  Merry  children  were  there 
to  take  an  interest  in  the  festivity.  The 
duchess  sat  in  an  armchair,  holding  a  white 
parasol  over  her  head.  More  or  less  damage 
was  done  to  the  property  of  the  inhabitants, 
and  they  made  it  up  by  taking  a  collection 
which,  when  counted,  amounted  to  forty  crowns. 
At  this  same  Saint-Sulpice,  Napoleon,  when 
First  Consul,  in  1800  reviewed  the  army  that 
was  to  fight  later  at  Marengo. 

It  must  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  Gib- 
bon's laziness  and  his  dislike  of  exercise  pre- 
vented him  from  working.  Delightful  invita- 
tions could  not  allure  him  from  his  work.  Often, 
as  his  History  neared  completion,  he  had  to 
spend  not  only  the  mornings  but  also  the  eve- 
nings in  his  library.  The  fourth  volume  was 
completed  in  June,  1784,  the  fifth  in  May,  1786 ; 
and  the  last  on  June  27,  1787. 

The  year  after  the  last  volume  was  pub- 
lished his  friend  Deyverdun,  who  had  been  for 
some  time  in  failing  health,  passed  away.  He 
bequeathed  to  Gibbon  for  life  the  furniture  in 
the  apartment  which  he  occupied.    There  is  no 


Gibbon  at  Lausanne  97 

known  inventory  of  it,  but  we  know  what  gave 
distinction  to  the  grand  salon  —  tapestried 
armchairs,  tall  pier-glass,  marble  and  gilt  con- 
sole table,  crystal  lustres,  bronze  candelabras, 
a  fine,  old  clock  in  carved  and  gilded  black 
wood,  and  other  luxurious  articles.  He  left  him 
also  the  entire  and  complete  use  and  possession 
of  La  Grotte,  its  dependencies,  and  the  tools  and 
utensils  for  caring  for  it.  He  was  to  make  all 
repairs  and  changes  necessary  and  pay  his  legal 
heir,  Major  Georges  de  Molin  de  Montagny, 
the  sum  of  four  thousand  francs,  and  an  annu- 
ity of  thirty  louis  neufs  or,  if  he  desired,  he 
might  purchase  the  property  for  thirty-five 
thousand  francs.  Gibbon  was  in  London  at 
the  time,  superintending  the  publication  of  his 
History ;  he  had  to  come  back  to  Lausanne  and 
to  a  quite  different  existence.  He  entered  into 
amicable  relations  with  Major  de  Montagny. 
He  lent  him  money  and  was  entirely  willing  to 
take  La  Grotte  in  accordance  with  the  will.  He 
began  to  make  improvements  in  the  estate  and 
he  tells  how  he  had  arranged  his  library,  or 
rather  his  two  libraries  —  "book-closets," 
they  used  to  be  called  —  and  their  antechamber 
so  that  he  could  shut  the  solid  wooden  doors  of 
the  twenty-seven  bookcases  in  such  a  way  that 
it  seemed  like  a  bookless  apartment. 


98  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

He  boasts  of  his  increasing  love  for  Nature : 

11  The  glories  of  the  landscape  I  have  always 
enjoyed;  but  Deyverdun  has  almost  given  me 
a  taste  for  minute  observation,  and  I  can  now 
dwell  with  pleasure  on  the  shape  and  color  of 
the  leaves,  the  various  hues  of  the  blossoms, 
and  the  successive  progress  of  vegetation. 
These  pleasures  are  not  without  cares;  and 
there  is  a  white  acacia  just  under  the  windows 
of  my  library  which,  in  my  opinion,  was  too 
closely  pruned  last  Autumn,  and  whose  recov- 
ery is  the  daily  subject  of  anxiety  and  conversa- 
tion. 

"  My  romantic  wishes  led  sometimes  to  an 
idea  which  was  impracticable  in  England,  the 
possession  of  an  house  and  garden,  which 
should  unite  the  society  of  town  with  the  beau- 
ties and  freedom  of  the  country.  This  idea  is 
now  realized  in  a  degree  of  perfection  to  which 
I  never  aspired,  and  if  I  could  convey  in  words 
a  just  picture  of  my  library,  apartments,  ter- 
race, wilderness,  vineyard,  with  the  prospect  of 
land  and  water  terminated  by  the  mountains; 
and  this  position  at  the  gate  of  a  populous  and 
lively  town  where  I  have  some  friends  and 
many  acquaintances,  you  would  envy  or  rather 
applaud  the  singular  propriety  of  my  choice." 

He  says  further  on  in  the  same  letter : 


Gibbon  at  Lausanne  99 

"  The  habits  of  female  conversation  have 
sometimes  tempted  me  to  acquire  the  piece  of 
furniture,  a  wife,  and  could  I  unite  in  a  single 
woman,  the  virtues  and  accomplishments  of 
half  a  dozen  of  my  acquaintance,  I  would  in- 
stantly pay  my  addresses  to  the  Constella- 
tions.'' 

The  requirements  were  that  one  should  be 
as  a  mistress ;  the  second,  a  lively  entertaining 
acquaintance ;  the  third,  a  sincere  good-natured 
friend;  the  fourth  should  preside  with  grace 
and  dignity  at  the  head  of  his  table  and  family; 
the  fifth,  an  excellent  economist  and  house- 
keeper ;  the  sixth,  a  very  useful  nurse ! 

It  was  suggested  to  him  by  Madame  Necker 
that  he  might  do  well  to  marry,  though  she 
assured  him,  with,  perhaps  a  bit  of  malice,  that 
to  marry  happily  one  must  marry  young.  He 
thus  expressed  himself  regarding  the  state  of 
celibacy :  — 

"  I  am  not  in  love  with  any  of  the  hyaenas 
of  Lausanne,  though  there  are  some  who  keep 
their  claws  tolerably  well  pared.  Sometimes, 
in  a  solitary  mood,  I  have  fancied  myself  mar- 
ried to  one  or  another  of  those  whose  society 
and  conversation  are  the  most  pleasing  to  me; 
but  when  I  have  painted  in  my  fancy  all  the 
probable  consequences  of  such  a  union,  I  have 


100  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

started  from  my  dream,  rejoiced  in  my  escape, 
and  ejaculated  a  thanksgiving  that  I  was  still 
in  possession  of  my  natural  freedom." 

Perhaps  it  was  fortunate  that  Gibbon  did  not 
marry  Suzanne;  we  might  not  have  had  the 
History  of  Rome;  we  should  not  have  had 
Madame  de  Stael! 


CHAPTER   VI 

AROUND    THE    LAKE    LEMAN 

T  was  a  cozy  and  restful  day  and 
pleasant  indoors,  sheltered  from 
the  driving  rain.  I  had  a  fine  romp 
with  the  children  in  the  nursery.  I 
was  delighted  to  find  that  the  oldest,  Lawrence, 
—  a  fine,  manly  little  chap  with  big  brown 
eyes  —  was  fond  of  music  and  was  already 
manifesting  considerable  talent.  The  twin 
girls,  Ethel  and  Barbara,  were  as  similar  as 
two  green  peas;  they  were  quick-witted 
enough  to  see  that  I  could  hardly  tell  them 
apart  and  they  enjoyed  playing  little  jokes 
on  me.  Toward  the  end  of  the  afternoon,  be- 
coming restless  from  being  so  long  indoors, 
I  proposed  taking  a  walk.  Lawrence  wanted 
to  go  with  us,  and  his  mother  dressed  him  ap- 
propriately, and  he  and  his  father  and  I  sal- 
lied out  together. 

We  had  hardly  reached  the  big  bridge  when 
Will  uttered  some  words  which  I  could  not 
understand.    "  What  is  that?  "  I  asked. 

101 


102  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

''It  is  a  weather  proverb  in  the  local  dia- 
lect." 

"  Please  repeat  it  slowly." 

He  did  so:  "  Leis  niollez  van  d'avau  deve- 
tion  lo  selau." 

"  Give  it  up,"  I  said. 

"  It  means:  '  When  the  clouds  fly  down  the 
lake  and  give  a  glimpse  of  the  sun,  it  is  a  sign 
of  fair  weather.'    The  wind  has  changed." 

He  had  hardly  uttered  this  prophecy  when 
there  was  a  break  in  the  west  and  a  gleam 
of  sunlight  flitted  across  the  upper  part  of  the 
town,  though  down  below  all  was  still  smoth- 
ered in  grey  mist. 

"It  is  surely  going  to  be  pleasant  to-mor- 
row, and  I  think  we  had  better  arrange  to 
make  a  tour  of  the  lake.  "We  can  go  either 
by  the  automobile  or  on  the  water  by  motor- 
boat.  We  can  do  it  by  the  car  in  a  day;  but 
if  we  go  by  boat  we  might  have  to  be  gone  a 
couple  of  days  or  even  longer.  A  storm  like 
this  is  likely  to  be  followed  by  a  spell  of  fair 
weather. ' ' 

"  I  should  vote  for  the  boat,"  said  I. 

The  next  morning  was  perfectly  cloudless. 
The  air  was  deliciously  bracing  and  every- 
thing was  propitious  for  our  trip.  We  had  an 
early  breakfast.    Emile  was  waiting  to  take  us 


Around  the  Lake  Leman  103 

down  to  the  quai  at  Ouchy.  A  graceful  —  and 
from  its  lines  evidently  swift-running  —  motor- 
boat  was  moored  alongside  the  Place  de  la 
Navigation.  The  chauffeur  drove  off  to  leave 
the  car  at  a  convenient  garage  and,  while  we 
were  making  ourselves  at  home  on  the  boat, 
he  came  hurrying  back  to  take  charge  of  the 
engine.  This  paragon  was  equally  apt  on  sea 
and  on  land.  We  were  soon  off  and  darting  out 
into  the  lake  which  in  the  early  morning,  when 
no  wind  had  as  yet  arisen,  lay  like  a  mirror. 
Looking  back,  we  had  the  steep  slope  of  the 
Jorat  clearly  outlined;  the  city  of  Lausanne 
clinging  to  its  sides,  and  the  cathedral  perched 
on  its  height  and  dominating  all  with  its  majes- 
tic dignity.  Gleaming  among  the  trees  could 
be  seen  dozens  of  attractive  villas  — "  the 
white  houses,' '  as  Dumas  cleverly  said,  resem- 
bling "  a  flock  of  swans  drying  themselves  in 
the  sun."  Many  of  these  would  be  worthy  a 
whole  chapter  of  history  and  romance,  the 
former  "  noble  "  possessors  having  connected 
themselves  with  literary,  educational,  or  mili- 
tary events  in  all  parts  of  Europe.  But,  seen 
from  the  lake,  they  were  like  the  details  of  a 
magnificent  panoramic  picture. 

As  a  wild  duck  flies,  the  distance  from  Ouchy 
to  Vevey  is  only  about  twelve  miles  across  the 


104  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

blue  water;  but  we  hugged  the  shore,  so  as  to 
get  the  nearest  possible  views.  Emile  was  an 
admirable  cicerone  and  pointed  out  to  us  many- 
interesting  places.  As  we  came  abreast  the 
valley  of  the  Paudeze  we  could  see  some  of  the 
eleven  arches  of  the  viaduct  of  La  Conversion. 
"  You  see  that  hill  just  to  the  East  of  the 
city,"  said  Will.  "  That  is  Pierra-Portay. 
There,  in  1826,  some  vintagers  found  several 
tombs  made  of  calcareous  stone  and  they  were 
quite  rich  in  objects  of  the  stone  age  — 
hatchets  and  weapons  and  other  things,  be- 
sides skeletons.  All  along  the  shores  of  the 
lake  similar  discoveries  were  made.  The 
people  didn't  know  much  about  such  things 
then,  and  many  were  opened  carelessly  and 
the  relics  were  often  scattered  and  lost.  I 
think  in  1835  about  a  hundred  were  opened. 
In  one  of  them,  covered  with  a  flat  stone,  there 
were  articles  from  the  bronze  age  —  spiral 
bracelets,  bronze  hatchets,  brass  plaques  orna- 
mented with  engraved  designs.  Probably 
when  they  were  made  the  lake  was  much 
higher.  There  are  traditions  that  the  water 
once  bathed  the  base  of  the  mountains,  and 
that  there  were  rings,  to  fasten  boats  to,  on 
Saint  Triphon,  which  must  then  have  been  an 
island.     Almost  every  town  along  the   shore 


Around  the  Lake  Leman  105 

has  its  prehistoric  foundation.  The  name  of 
the  forest  beyond  Lausanne,  —  you  can  see  it 
from  here,  —  Sauvabelin,  which  means  sylva 
Bellini,  suggests  Druidical  rites  and  about 
thirty  tombs  were  found  there  with  interest- 
ing remains.  And  just  above  the  Mont  de 
Lutry,  above  the  viaduct  —  where  you  see 
those  arches  —  a  huge  old  oak-tree  was  struck 
by  lightning  and  overturned ;  in  its  roots  were 
a  number  of  deep  bowls,  cups  and  earthen 
plates  bearing  the  name  of  Vindonissa,  which 
was  an  important  Eoman  settlement,  and  also 
fragments  of  knives  and  other  copper  utensils, 
probably  used  for  sacrifices,  perhaps  hidden 
there  by  some  Druid  priest." 

It  was  a  queer  notion  to  spring  this  recondite 
subject  when  we  were  flying  along  the  crystal- 
line waters  of  the  lake  and  new  splendours  of 
scenery  were  every  second  bursting  into  view. 
I  did  not  even  care  very  much  to  know  the 
names  of  the  multitudinous  mountains  that 
seemed  to  be  holding  a  convention  on  the  hori- 
zon, though  Emile  told  us  that  those  were  the 
Rochers  de  Verraux,  those  the  Rochers  de 
Naye,  and  others  various  Teeth  —  La  Dent  de 
Jaman,  La  Dent  de  Morcles,  La  Dent  du  Midi. 
I  did  learn  to  distinguish  the  latter,  and  also 
Le  Grand  Muveran,    and  especially  La  Tour 


106  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

d  'A'i,  where  I  knew  that  a  wonderful  echo  — 
un  echo  railleur  —  has  her  habitat  and  mocks 
whatever  sounds  are  flung  in  her  direction. 

Perfectly  beautiful  also  stood  out  the  peak 
of  what  the  Western  "  Cookie  "  called  "  the 
grand  Combine  ' '  —  like  the  pyramid  of 
Cheops  beatified  and  changed  into  sugar.  As 
we  expected  to  stop  at  the  Castle  of  Chillon  I 
had  brought  with  me  an  amusing  "  Guide  " 
to  that  historic  shrine  and  I  discovered  in  it  a 
description  of  La  Dent  du  Midi.     It  says:  — 

"  What  a  magnificent  object  that  Dent  du 
Midi  is,  if  we  regard  it,  standing  out  so  clearly 
from  its  base  to  its  summit,  rising  so  boldly 
and  by  endless  degrees  from  the  depth  of  the 
valley  up  to  the  gigantic  wall,  the  strata  of 
which  are  intersected  by  narrow  passes,  where 
the  snow  lodges  and  gives  birth  to  the  glaciers, 
the  largest  of  which  are  spread  out  like  a 
streak  of  silver  as  far  down  as  the  pasture- 
fields.  In  its  central  and  unique  position,  the 
Dent  du  Midi,  with  its  seven  irregular  peaks, 
crowns  and  worthily  completes  the  picture.' ' 

Then  the  author  goes  off  into  poetry :  — 

"  Dost  thou  know  it,  the  dull  blue  wave 
Which  bathes  the  ancient  Wall  of  Chillon? 
Hast  seen  the  grand  shadow  of  the  rocks  of  Arvel 
Reflected  in  that  azure  sea? 


LA    DENT    DU    MIDI    FROM    MONTREUX. 


Around  the  Lake  Leman  107 

Knowest  thou  Naye  and  its  steep  crest 

And  the  toothed  ridge  of  Jaman? 

Hast  thou  seen  them,  tell  me,  hast  thou  seen  them? 

Come  here  to  these  scenes  and  never  leave  them!  " 

I  suppose  it  is  really  one's  duty  to  know  the 
names  of  the  mountains,  just  as  one  must  know 
the  botanical  names  of  flowers.  Nevertheless, 
only  within  comparatively  few  years  have  dis- 
tinctive names  been  actually  fastened  to  special 
mountains.  The  names,  foreign  to  English, 
when  translated  into  English  are  often  to  the 
last  degree  banal.  A  typical  example  is  the 
Greek  headland  with  its  high-sounding  appella- 
tion, Kunoskephale,  which  means  merely 
Dog's  Head;  and  those  that  first  gave  the  Alps 
a  generic  name  could  not  devise  anything  bet- 
ter than  a  word  which  means  "  White."  What 
would  not  the  imaginative  American  Indians 
have  called  Mont  Blanc!  Very  probably  the 
Keltic  inhabitants  of  these  regions,  with  their 
poetic  nature,  would  have  named  it  something 
better  than  just  "  White  Mountain!"  The 
Romans  might  have  the  practical  ability  to 
build  roads  over  the  hills,  but  they  could  not 
name  them ! 

Juste  Olivier,  however,  goes  into  ecstasies 
over  the  names  of  some  of  the  Swiss  moun- 
tains.    He  says:  — 


108  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

■  ■ 

"  What  more  charming,  more  fresh  and 
morning-like  than  the  name  of  the  Blumlisalp? 
What  more  gloomy  than  that  of  the  Wetter- 
horn,  more  solid  than  that  of  the  Stockhorn, 
more  incomparable  than  that  of  the  Jung- 
frau,  more  aerial  and  whiter  than  that  of  the 
Titlis,  more  superb  and  high  sounding  than 
that  of  the  Kamor,  more  sparkling  and  vivid 
than  that  of  the  Silberhorn,  more  terrible  than 
that  of  the  Finsteraarhorn  which  falls  and 
echoes  like  an  avalanche !  ' ' 

He  is  still  more  enthusiastic  over  the  Alps 
of  Vaud :  —  Moleson  with  its  round  and  abun- 
dant mass  so  frequently  sung  by  the  shepherds 
of  Gruyeres,  the  slender,  white,  graceful  forms 
of  La  Dent  de  Lis  and  Le  Eubli.  And  he  finds 
in  the  multitude  of  names  ending  in  az  — 
Dorannaz,  Javernaz,  Oeusannaz,  Bovannaz  — 
something  peculiarly  alpestrine  and  bucolic,  as 
if  one  heard  in  them  the  horn-notes  blown 
by  the  herdsmen,  and  their  long  cadenzas  with 
the  echoes  from  the  mountain  walls;  and  the 
solemn  lowing  of  the  cows  as  they  crop  the 
flowery  grass  and  shake  the  big  copper  bells 
fastened  to  their  necks.  There  is  an  endless 
study  in  names  of  places  as  well  as  in  names 
of  people.  Often  centuries  of  history  may  be 
detected  in  a  single  word. 


Around  the  Lake  Leman  109 

Meantime  we  have  been  speeding  along,  cut- 
ting through  the  fabric  of  the  lake  as  if  we 
were  a  knife.  Behind  us  radiated  two  long, 
dark  blue  lines  tipped  with  bubbles  and  mixing 
the  reflections  of  the  gracious  shores.  Oh, 
this  wonderful  lake !  Vast  tomes  have  been  de- 
voted to  its  poetic,  picturesque,  scientific  char- 
acteristics. Almost  every  inch  of  its  vast 
depths  has  been  explored.  No  longer  has  the 
wily  boatman,  as  he  steers  his  lateen-sailed 
lochere,  any  excuse  for  telling  his  occasional 
passenger  (as  he  used  to  tell  James  Fenimore 
Cooper)  that  the  water  is  bottomless.  Every 
fish  that  swims  in  it  is  known  and  every  bird 
that  floats  on  its  broad  bosom. 

A  lake  is  by  no  means  a  lazy  body  of  water 
and  Leman,  or  Lake  Geneva,  as  it  is  often  called, 
is  not  so  much  a  lake  as  it  is  a  swollen  river. 
If  the  Rhone  is  an  artery,  the  lake  is  a  sort  of 
aneurism;  there  is  a  current  from  one  end  to 
the  other  which  keeps  it  constantly  changing. 
Then,  owing  to  atmospheric  conditions,  at 
least  twice  a  year  (as  in  even  the  most  stag- 
nant ponds)  the  top  layers  sink  to  the  bottom 
and  the  bottom  layers  come  to  the  top.  There 
is  also  a  sort  of  tide  or  tidal  fluxes,  called 
seiches.  The  word  means  originally  the  flats 
exposed  by  low  water,  but  is  applied  here  to 


110  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

variations  averaging  ten  inches  or  so  in  the 
level  of  the  lake,  but  sometimes  greatly  ex- 
ceeding that.  There  were  three  or  four  in  one 
day  in  September,  1600,  when  the  lake  fell  five 
feet  and  boats  were  stranded.  De  Saussure, 
one  August  day  in  1763,  measured  a  sudden 
fall  of  1.47  meters,  or  four  and  a  half  feet,  in 
ten  minutes'  time.  Eight  years  previously, 
the  effect  of  the  great  earthquake  which  des- 
troyed Lisbon  was  noticed  in  the  vibration  of 
the  lake.  Various  explanations  of  this  curious 
phenomenon  have  been  given.  One  was  that 
the  Rhone  was  stopped  and,  as  it  were,  piled  up 
at  the  so-called  Banc  du  Travers  —  a  bar  or 
shallow  between  Le  Petit  Lac  and  Le  Grand 
Lac  which  begins  on  a  line  between  La  Pointe 
de  Promenthoux  on  the  north  and  La  Pointe  de 
Nernier  in  Savoy  on  the  south.  It  is  probably 
due  to  the  sweeping  force  of  the  winds.  When 
there  is  a  heavy  storm  waves  on  the  lake  have 
been  observed  and  measured  not  less  than 
thirty-five  meters  long  and  a  meter  and  seven 
tenths  in  height. 

James  Fenimore  Cooper  in  his  novel  "  The 
Headsman  of  Berne,"  published  anonymously 
while  he  was  United  States  Consul  at  Lyons, 
thus  describes  this  wonderful  body  of  water :  — 
"  The  Lake  of  Geneva  lies  nearly  in  the  form 


Around  the  Lake  Leman  ill 

of  a  crescent,  stretching  from  the  southwest 
towards  the  northeast.  Its  northern  or  the 
Swiss  shore  is  chiefly  what  is  called,  in  the 
language  of  the  country,  a  cote,  or  a  declivity 
that  admits  of  cultivation,  and,  with  few  ex- 
ceptions, it  has  been,  since  the  earliest  periods 
of  history,   planted   with   the   generous   vine. 

"  Here  the  Eomans  had  many  stations  and 
posts,  vestiges  of  which  are  still  visible.  The 
confusion  and  the  mixture  of  interests  that  suc- 
ceeded the  fall  of  the  Empire  gave  rise  in  the 
middle  ages  to  various  baronial  castles,  eccle- 
siastical towns  and  towers  of  defence  which 
still  stand  on  the  margin  of  this  beautiful  sheet 
of  water,  or  ornament  the  eminences  a  little 
inland.  .  .  .  The  shores  of  Savoy  are  composed 
with  unmaterial  exceptions  of  advanced  spurs 
of  the  high  Alps,  among  which  towers  Mont 
Blanc,  like  a  sovereign  seated  in  the  midst  of 
a  brilliant  court,  the  rocks  frequently  rising 
from  the  water's  edge  in  perpendicular  masses. 
None  of  the  lakes  of  this  remarkable  region 
possess  a  greater  variety  of  scenery  than  that 
of  Geneva,  which  changes  from  the  smiling 
aspect  of  fertility  and  cultivation  at  its  lower 
extremity  to  the  sublimity  of  a  savage  and 
sublime  nature  at  its  upper." 

It   seems   almost   incredible,   but   Lausanne 


112  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

lies  a  good  deal  nearer  to  the  North  Pole  than 
Boston  does.  The  degree  of  latitude  that 
sweeps  across  the  lake  where  we  started  cuts 
just  a  little  below  Quebec,  nearly  touches 
Duluth  and  goes  a  bit  south  of  Seattle.  There 
are  really  three  lakes,  forming  one  which,  in 
its  whole  extent,  has  a  shore-line  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty-seven  kilometers,  the  north  shore  be- 
ing twenty-three  longer  than  the  south.  Its 
greatest  width  is  thirteen  and  eight-tenths  kilo- 
meters, and  it  covers  an  area  of  about  five 
hundred  and  eighty-two  square  kilometers.  Its 
maximum  depth  is  309.7  meters.  It  is  a  true 
rock  basin.  The  Upper  Lake  is,  for  the  most 
part,  a  level  plain,  filled  by  the  greyish-muddy 
Rhone  which  uses  it  as  a  sort  of  clearing- 
house. Being  denser  than  the  lake,  the  water 
of  the  river  sinks  and  leaves  on  the  bottom  its 
perpetual  deposits  of  mud,  coarser  near  the 
shore,  finer  the  farther  out  one  goes.  When 
the  bottom  of  the  Grand  Lake  is  once  reached, 
it  is  as  flat  as  a  billiard-table.  Sixty  meters 
from  the  Castle  of  Chillon  it  is  sixty-four 
meters  deep  and  shelves  rapidly  to  three  times 
that  depth. 

Deep  as  it  seems  —  for  a  thousand  feet  of 
perpendicular  water  is  in  itself  a  somewhat 
awesome  thought  —  still,  in  proportion  to  its 


Around  the  Lake  Leman  113 

surface-extent,  the  lake  is  shallow.  Pour  out 
a  tumbler  of  water  on  a  wooden  chair  and  the 
comparative  depth  is  greater. 

Pure  as  it  seems  to  be  —  and  the  beauty  of 
its  colour  is  a  proof  of  it  —  the  Rhone  carries 
down  from  it  to  the  sea  a  vast  amount  of  or- 
ganic matter  and,  as  it  drains  a  basin  of  eight 
thousand  square  kilometers,  it  is  not  strange 
that  Geneva,  which  has  used  the  lake-water  for 
drinking  purposes  since  1715,  has  occasionally 
suffered  from  typhoid  fever.  In  1884  there 
were  sixteen  hundred  and  twenty-five  cases; 
but,  since  the  intake-pipes  have  been  carried 
farther  into  deep  water,  the  danger  seems  to 
have  passed.  Ancient  writers  supposed  that 
the  Rhone  ran  through  Lake  Leman  without 
mixing  its  waters;  they  did  not  know  that  the 
lake  is  the  Rhone. 

Emile  told  us  that  after  the  bise,  that  is,  the 
northeast  wind,  had  blown  for  several  days, 
the  muddy  water  of  the  Rhone  shows  green 
along  the  shore  for  several  kilometers.  This 
is  called  les  troublous  du  Rhone.  He  told  us 
also  that  the  lake-water  is  warmer  than  the  air 
in  every  month  except  April  and  May.  I  asked 
him  if  it  ever  froze  over,  and  he  replied  that 
there  was  a  legend  that  once  it  did,  but  never 
within  his  memory. 


114  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

One  of  the  most  interesting  things  in  win- 
ter is  the  mirage.  Almost  every  day  one  can 
see  the  land  looming;  it  seems  as  if  there  were 
great  castles  and  cities,  and  sometimes  boats 
are  sailing  in  the  air.  Places  that  are  out  of 
sight  rise  up,  and  gigantic  walls  and  colossal 
quais  appear  where  there  are  no  suich  con- 
structions. 

This  Fata  Morgana  gave  ground  for  the 
magical  Palace  of  the  Fairy  —  le  Palais  de  la 
Fee —  and  is  perhaps  the  basis  of  the  legend 
of  the  fairy  skiff  of  the  lake.  Those  that  have 
the  vision  see  it  drawn  along  by  eight  snow- 
white  swans.  In  it  sits  a  supernaturally  tall 
woman  with  golden  locks  and  dressed  in  white 
robes,  accompanied  by  chubby  sprites.  If  one's 
ears  are  keen  enough  one  can  hear  the  song 
that  she  sings,  accompanied  by  a  beautiful 
harp.  Wherever  her  bark  touches  the  shore 
bright  flowers  spring  into  bloom.  Unlike  many 
of  the  magical  inhabitants  of  the  mountains, 
she  is  a  beneficent  creature.  Even  the  sight 
of  her  brings  good  fortune.  But,  since  steam- 
boats began  to  ply  up  and  down  and  across  the 
blue  waters  of  the  lake,  she  has  not  been  seen; 
she  was  scared  away.  She  appears  only  on 
post-cards  accompanied  by  the  German  words 
"  Gliick  auf  "  —  "  Cheer  up." 


Around  the  Lake  Leman  115 

"  By  the  way,"  said  Will,  "  did  you  know 
that  the  first  steamboat  to  sail  on  Lake  Geneva 
was  built  by  an  American?  " 

"  No?    What  was  his  name?  " 

"  That  I  don't  know;  but  he  made  a  great 
success  of  it  so  that  an  association  was  formed 
to  go  into  competition  with  him  with  two  new 
boats  and,  when  they  were  launched,  they  of- 
fered the  American  a  sovereign  a  day  to  let  his 
boat  lie  idly  at  the  dock.  He  accepted  the 
proposition  and  was  spared  all  the  worries  of 
navigating  the  lake  and  of  seeing  his  profits  cut 
down  by  opposition.  That  was  about  a  century 
ago. ' ' 

We  were  interrupted  by  an  odd,  droning 
noise  from  the  direction  of  Montreux  and, 
looking  back,  we  saw  what  might  have  been 
taken  for  one  of  those  huge  birds,  the  roc, 
which  we  used  to  read  about  in  the  Arabian 
Nights.  It  came  rapidly  nearer  and  we 
saw  it  was  a  hydro-aeroplane  darting  down 
the  lake.  It  must  have  been  at  least  a 
thousand  feet  in  the  air,  but  with  the  spy- 
glass we  could  see  the  faces  of  its  pas- 
sengers. 

"  I'd  like  to  go  up  in  one  of  those,' '  said 
Will,  "  but  this  tyrannical  little  wife  of  mine 
has  made  me  promise  that  I  won't.    Don't  you 


116  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

think  that  she  is  exhibiting  an  undue  interfer- 
ence with  her  lord  and  master?  " 

"  Am  I  not  perfectly  right,  Uncle?  "  asked 
Ruth  with  a  show  of  indignation.  "  I  suppose 
some  time  they  will  be  made  safe ;  but,  till  they 
are,  a  man  who  has  a  wife  and  children  has  no 
business  to  take  such  a  risk.  Suppose  a  Use 
should  suddenly  come  down  from  the  moun- 
tains." 

Of  course  I  took  Buth's  side;  Will  would 
not  have  liked  it  if  I  hadn't;  but  I  made  up  my 
mind  then  and  there  that,  at  the  first  oppor- 
tunity, I,  not  being  cramped  by  any  marital 
obligations,  would  have  a  sail  in  a  hydro-aero- 
plane. What  is  more,  I  carried  out  my  pur- 
pose. One  day  everything  seemed  to  favour  me ; 
the  weather  was  fine  and  promised  to  continue 
so;  Will  and  Ruth  were  occupied  in  some  do- 
mestic complication;  so  I  went  out  ostensibly 
for  a  walk,  but  hurried  to  the  station  and 
took  a  train  for  Vernex.  I  found  the  quai 
where  the  hydro-aeroplane  starts,  and,  having 
been  told  that  it  cost  a  hundred  francs,  I  had 
the  passage-money  ready  in  a  bank-note. 

I  have  seen  a  wild  fowl  rise  from  the  surface 
of  an  Adirondack  lake;  the  wings  dash  the 
water  into  foam,  but  after  it  has  made  a  long, 
white  wake,  it  rises  and  speeds  down  the  hori- 


Around  the  Lake  Leman  117 

zon.  So,  as  soon  as  I  had  taken  my  place  with 
one  other  passenger,  a  Russian  gentleman,  the 
motor  was  set  in  motion  and  we  glided  out  on 
the  lake.  Then,  with  a  slight  motion  of  the 
rudder,  as  our  speed  increased,  we  left  the  sur- 
face and,  in  an  easy  incline,  mounted  high  into 
the  air.  I  liked  it  all  except  the  noise  of  the 
motor;   that  was  deafening. 

My  favourite  dream  has  always  had  to  do 
with  an  act  of  levitation.  I  would  seem  to  be 
standing  on  the  great,  granite  step  of  my 
grandfather's  old  house,  and  then  by  sheer 
will  power  lift  myself  —  only  there  was  no 
'sense  of  lifting  —  high  out  over  the  river 
which  flowed  between  the  steep  banks,  a  wide, 
calm  stream,  and,  having  made  a  turn  above 
the  swaying  elms,  come  back  to  my  starting- 
point  without  any  sense  of  shock. 

This  came  nearest  to  that  dream.  I  had  no 
sense  of  fear  at  all.  Looking  down,  I  could 
say  with  Tennyson's  eagle,  "  The  wrinkled  sea 
beneath  me  crawls."  The  whole  lake  lay,  as 
it  were,  in  the  palm  of  my  hand.  It  was  an  in- 
describable panorama,  flattened  except  where 
very  high  hills  arose,  and  in  the  distance  an  in- 
finitude of  blended  details.  It  was  vastly  more 
exciting  than  being  on  a  mountain-top.  The 
wind  whistled  through  the  wires  and  almost 


118  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

took  away  my  breath.  Thanks  to  having  twice 
circled  the  lake  —  once  by  motor-boat  and  once 
in  the  automobile  —  I  knew  pretty  well  what 
the  towns  were  over  which  we  sailed.  We 
made  a  wide  circuit  over  Geneva  and,  mount- 
ing still  higher,  cleared  the  crest  of  the  Saleve 
and  then  returned  like  an  arrow  to  Vernex. 
I  now  knew  how  an  eagle  feels  when  in  splendid 
spirals  it  soars  up  toward  the  sun  until  it  is 
lost  to  human  sight,  and  then,  with  absolute 
command  of  its  motions,  descends  to  its  eyrie 
on  the  top  of  a  primeval  pine  planted  on  the 
mountain's  dizzy  side.  I  now  knew  how  Icarus 
dared  fit  those  wax-panoplied  wings  to  his 
strong  arms  and  with  mighty  strokes  ply  the 
upper  skies,  looking  down  on  the  sea  which  it 
was  worth  dying  for  to  name  through  all  the 
ages. 

Over  this  very  lake  once  floated  the  balloon 
sent  up  by  Madame  de  Charriere  de  Bavois, 
kindled  to  enthusiasm  by  the  invention  of  the 
celebrated  Montgolfier  brothers.  It  was  nearly 
two  meters  high  and  two  or  three  times  that  in 
circumference  and  was  made  of  paper  and  a 
network  of  wires.  But  it  caught  fire,  and  fell 
like  a  meteor,  and  Lausanne  forbade  any  more 
experiments  of  the  sort  without  permission; 
there  was  too  great  risk  of  setting  the  woods 


Around  the  Lake  Leman  119 

on  fire.  What  would  Rousseau  and  Voltaire 
have  said  to  see  men  flying  a  thousand  feet 
above  their  heads?  But  what  at  first  seems 
like  a  miracle  soon  becomes  a  commonplace 
and,  now  that  I  have  been  up  in  a  "  plane," 
ordinary  locomotion  will  seem  rather  tame. 

But,  to  return  to  our  trip  around  the  lake. 
The  buzzing  hydro-aeroplane  sped  over  our 
heads,  going  at  a  tremendous  clip  and  of  course 
filling  us  with  wonder  and  admiration.  While 
those  above  us  were  free  from  every  obstacle, 
except  the  air  itself,  which  Kant,  in  one  of  his 
poetic  passages  in  the  "  Critique,"  shows  is  the 
very  support  of  the  bird's  flight,  we  were 
making  good  progress  in  the  "  Hirondelle," 
running  not  far  from  the  shore,  but  of  course 
avoiding  the  shelving  edge  of  the  beine  —  to 
use  the  local  term. 

We  were  near  enough  to  admire  the  beauti- 
ful villas  which  occupied  commanding  and 
lovely  sites  at  frequent  intervals  between 
Lutry  and  Cully.  When  Emile  pointed  out 
Villette  I  wondered  if  Charlotte  Bronte  got  the 
name  of  her  autobiographical  romance  from  it. 
Pretty  soon  we  glided  slowly  by  Vevey,  where 
we  could  see  the  crowds  of  people  on  the  Place 
du  Marche,  and  the  green  fields  with  scattered 


120  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

houses,  and  enjoyed  the  tall  trees  and  the  fine 
old  chateau  de  l'Aile  and,  farther  back,  the 
noble  tower  of  Saint  Martin. 

Vevey  has  been  rather  unfortunate  in  its 
piers.  In  1872  the  municipality  began  to  build 
a  solid  and  handsome  structure  along  La  Place 
de  l'Ancien  Port.  Several  years  were  spent  on 
it  and  it  had  been  completed  about  eighteen 
months  when  one  hundred  and  nine  meters  — 
all  of  the  western  part  —  suddenly,  and  without 
any  warning,  sank  into  the  lake.  The  physical 
explanation  of  the  catastrophe  was  very  sim- 
ple. Almost  a  hundred  years  earlier  —  in  June 
and  again  in  November,  1785  —  some  of  the 
houses  on  what  was  then  La  Rue  du  Sauveur, 
now  La  Rue  du  Lac,  being  founded  on  the  same 
unstable  basis,  gave  way.  It  happened  again 
in  1809.  The  weight  of  the  superimposed 
structure  caused  the  mud  and  gravel  deposits 
to  slide  down  into  deeper  water.  Even  now  one 
almost  expects  to  see  the  white,  gravelly  beach, 
just  beyond,  sink  into  the  depths,  with  all  the 
chattering  washer-women  who  use  the  lake  as 
a  bath-tub.  Similar  catastrophes  have  hap- 
pened on  several  other  Swiss  lakes. 

It  was  like  a  moving-picture  to  see  the  suc- 
cession of  interesting  places.  Beyond  Vevey- 
la-Tour  were  the  clustered  villas  of  La  Tour- 


Around  the  Lake  Leman  121 

de-Peilz,  where  Count  Peter  of  Savoy  once  en- 
joyed the  beauties  of  the  lake;  then  Clarens, 
suggesting  memories  of  Rousseau  and  Byron. 
Far  up  on  the  height  we  could  see  the  Chateau 
des  Cretes.  We  made  beautiful  scallops  in 
around  by  Vernex,  and  doubled  the  picturesque 
point  on  which  Montreux  roosts,  and  looked  up 
to  the  far-away  Dent  de  Jaman;  we  skirted 
Territe  and  then  came  close  under  the  frown- 
ing, historic  walls  of  Chillon. 


CHAPTER   VII 

A   DIGRESSION   AT    CHILLON 

,HILLON  is  probably  the  best-known 
castle  in  Switzerland.  It  commands 
the  one  pass  between  the  mountains 
and  the  lake,  and  there,  in  the  old 
days,  two  horsemen  conld  defend  the  passage 
against  a  host.  On  Mont  Sonchaux,  a  spur  of 
the  high  crags  of  Naye,  with  Mont  Arval  rising 
on  the  east,  and  torn  with  ravines  and  land- 
slides, between  the  two  torrents,  the  Veraye 
and  the  Tinere,  it  stands,  "  a  mass  of  towers 
placed  on  a  mass  of  rocks." 

We  sailed  all  around,  from  one  side  of  the 
bridge  to  the  other,  and  managed  to  approach 
near  enough  to  clamber  ashore.  We  fastened 
the  boat  to  a  tree  by  the  long  maille,  as  they 
call  the  painter  on  the  lake.  Then  we  went  all 
over  the  ancient  fortress.  Happily  the  Canton 
has  at  last  awakened  to  the  propriety  of  not 
merely  keeping  it  in  repair,  but  also  of  restor- 
ing it  to  something  like  its  pristine  condition. 
In  the  earlier  castle  Louis  le  Debonnaire  con- 

122 


A  Digression  at  Chillon  123 

fined  his  kinsman,  Count  Walla,  the  friend  of 
Lothaire,  on  the  ground  that  he  was  the  insti- 
gator of  that  prince's  revolt  against  his  father. 
At  that  time  the  country  was  a  wilderness,  and 
there  was  only  a  chapel  where  now  Montreux 
gathers  a  wealthy  and  luxurious  population. 
Walla  spent  many  years  in  Chillon,  but  was 
ultimately  transferred  to  the  fortified  Island  of 
Noirmontier.  Then  he  was  set  free,  and  died 
in  835  in  the  Abbey  of  Bobbio,  sixteen  leagues 
from  Milan. 

In  1235,  Duke  Pierre  de  Savoy  received  the 
Province  of  Chamblais,  extending  from  Saint 
Bernard  to  the  torrent  of  the  Veveyse  and  to 
the  Arve  on  both  sides  of  the  lake. 

He  erected  many  castles  —  one  at  Martigny, 
at  the  entrance  to  the  pass  leading  up  to  Saint 
Bernard;  one  at  Evian,  on  the  south  side  of 
the  lake;  and  still  another  at  the  village  of 
Peilz  —  and  he  reconstructed  Chillon.  Having 
mastered  the  Pays  de  Vaud,  he  governed  with 
moderation.  He  organized  troops  of  archers 
and  halberdiers,  established  shooting-societies, 
and  maintained  strong  garrisons  at  various 
points.  In  1265,  Rodolphe,  Duke  of  Hapsburg, 
invaded  Vaud  and  besieged  Chillon.  Pierre 
suddenly  attacked  him  and  won  a  great  victory. 
They  took  the  duke  prisoner,  together  with 


124  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

eighty  barons,  lords,  knights  and  nobles  of  the 
country.  After  this  Pierre  had  things  his  own 
way;  he  settled  down  at  the  Castle  of  Chillon 
and  one  of  his  pleasures  was  to  go  out  rowing 
on  the  lake. 

In  1358,  when  the  plague  ravaged  Europe, 
the  Jews  were  accused  of  poisoning  the  water. 
"  The  Court  of  Justice  of  Chillon,"  says  the 
local  hand-book,  "  caused  these  unhappies  to 
be  tortured  and  they  would  confess  and  then 
were  burnt."  So  roused  against  them  were  the 
population  that  on  one  occasion  a  rabble  forced 
the  gates  of  the  castle  and  put  a  number  of 
them  to  death. 

In  Pierre's  day  it  must  have  been  a  magnifi- 
cent residence.  Even  now,  viewed  with  the  eye 
of  imagination,  one  can  get  some  notion  of  what 
it  was  in  its  period  of  splendour,  though 
Thomas  Jefferson  Hogg,  in  his  "  Journal  of  a 
Traveller,"  declares  that  it  is  ugly,  with  its 
whitewashed  walls  crowned  with  a  red-tiled 
roof.  It  is  built  in  the  form  of  an  irregular 
oval.  In  the  centre  is  a  high,  square  tower 
which  contained  a  great  alarm-bell,  the  deep 
tones  of  which  must  have  often  echoed  over 
the  waters  to  call  the  defenders  to  resist  the 
attacks  of  fierce  enemies.  On  the  north  side 
are  two  ranges  of  crenelated  walls  and  three 


^ffTWfcr  i*ii^m  ^M 


THE    CASTLE    OF    CHILLOX. 


A  Digression  at  Chillon  125 

round  towers.  On  the  east  is  the  massive 
square  of  the  principal  tower,  through  which 
is  the  only  entrance,  formerly  closed  by  a  draw- 
bridge extending  from  the  shore  to  the  rock. 
The  rooms  where  the  counts  and  their  ladies 
dwelt  in  state  were  on  the  south  side.  On  the 
first  floor  is  the  great  apartment  once  occupied 
by  the  Governor  of  Chillon.  In  one  of  the 
rooms  is  a  magnificent  fireplace  with  sculptured 
columns.  In  the  story  above  are  the  chambers 
where  knights  habited.  Here  are  pillars  richly 
carved,  ornamented  with  ancient  coats  of  arms, 
and  once  draped  with  banners.  Then  come  the 
chambers  of  the  duke  and  duchess,  communi- 
cating by  a  private  door.  The  duchess's  win- 
dows look  down  on  the  blue  waters  of  the  lake, 
while  that  of  the  prince  looks  into  the  court- 
yard. 

Religion  was  not  neglected  in  those  days ;  in 
the  chapel  one  admires  the  beautiful  ogive  of 
the  nave.  From  the  Hall  of  Justice  a  stairway 
leads  down  into  the  vaults  below.  These  are 
caverns  about  a  hundred  meters  long.  The 
floors  are  only  eight  feet  above  the  lake,  which 
goes  off  very  abruptly  down  to  the  deepest 
depths.  These  vaults  are  partitioned  off  into 
chambers  of  different  sizes,  separated  by  nar- 
row, dark  spaces  and  used  for  dungeons.    Each 


126  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

of  the  subterranean  cells  contains  a  row  of  pil- 
lars, surmounted  by  ogive  arches.  They  are 
like  the  sombre  and  almost  magical  dungeons 
under  the  ancient  King  Arkel's  castle,  where 
Pelleas  and  his  jealous  brother  grope  in 
Maeterlinck's  marvellous  drama. 

The  last  and  largest  of  these  terrible  apart- 
ments is  the  one  where  Bonivard  was  confined. 
It  is  entered  by  a  low,  narrow  doorway,  and 
is  divided  by  seven  huge  pillars,  around  one  of 
which  is  the  legendary  groove  hollowed  by  the 
restless  pacing  of  the  prisoner's  circling  feet. 
Above  are  several  narrow  slits  admitting  a  dim 
light.  On  bright  days  the  light  reflected  from 
the  lake  casts  a  weird  radiance  on  the  ceiling. 
Little  trembling  waves  go  chasing  one  another 
across.  Bonivard  could  tell  when  it  was 
morning,  for  then  the  light  is  blue,  while  in  the 
afternoon  it  has  a  sickly,  greenish  hue. 

Francis  Bonivard  was  born  at  Seyssel  and 
was  educated  at  Turin.  At  twenty  he  became 
prior  of  Saint  Victor,  a  small  monastery  near 
Geneva.  He  joined  the  political  organization, 
called  "  The  Children  of  Geneva,' '  which  was 
engaged  in  a  revolt  against  the  Bishop  and 
Duke  of  Savoy.  He  said:  —  "I  foresee  that 
we  shall  finally  do  what  our  friends  in  Berne 
have    done  —  separate    from    Rome.      I    was 


A  Digression  at  Chillon  127 

twenty  years  old  and  I  was  led  like  the  others 
more  by  affection  than  by  counsel,  but  God 
granted  a  happy  issue  to  all  our  foolish  under- 
takings, and  treated  us  like  a  good  father." 

The  duke  managed  to  capture  him  and  im- 
prisoned him  for  two  years  at  Gex  and  Gerolles. 
Later,  he  fell  a  second  time  into  the  duke's 
clutch. 

Bonivard  tells  how  it  happened:  —  "At 
Moudon  I  resolved  to  return  to  Lausanne. 
When  we  were  in  the  Jorat,  lo,  the  Captain  of 
the  Castle  of  Chillon,  Antoine  de  Beaufort,  with 
some  of  his  companions,  comes  out  of  the  forest 
where  he  was  concealed  and  approaches  me 
suddenly.  These  worthy  gentlemen  fall  on  me 
all  at  once  and  make  me  a  prisoner  by  the  cap- 
tain's order  and,  though  I  show  them  my  pass- 
port, they  carry  me  off  tied  and  bound  to  Chil- 
lon, where  I  was  compelled  to  endure  my  second 
suffering  for  six  years.' ' 

This  was  from  1530  till  1536.  He  was  treated 
mildly  at  first,  but  afterwards  he  was  thrown 
into  the  dungeon  and  fastened  to  one  of  the 
pillars.  ' '  I  had  so  much  time  for  walking, ' '  he 
says  with  a  sort  of  grim  Humour, ' '  that  I  wore 
a  little  pathway  in  the  rock,  as  if  it  had  been 
done  with  a  hammer. ' ' 

In   1536  the  Bernese   sent  troops  to   help 


128  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

Geneva,  which  was  besieged  by  Duke  Charles 
III.  Reinforced  by  the  Genevese  fleet  after  the 
relief  of  Geneva,  they  in  turn  besieged  Chillon. 
The  governor  with  his  escort  fled  to  Savoy  and 
Bonivard  was  set  free.  His  first  words  were : — 
"  And  Geneva?  " 

"  Also  free,"  was  the  laconic  reply. 

After  Bern  had  conquered  Savoy,  Auguste  de 
Luternan  (an  appropriate  name  for  a  Lu- 
theran) was  the  first  Bernese  bailiff  of  Chillon, 
and  he  and  his  successors  made  various  altera- 
tions in  the  buildings.  In  1733  the  bailiwick 
was  transferred  to  Vevey  and  just  seventy 
years  later  the  castle  became  the  property  of 
Vaud.  For  some  time  it  was  grievously  neg- 
lected. For  its  sole  garrison  it  had  two  gens- 
d 'amies,  and  it  was  used  only  as  a  military 
magazine  and  a  prison. 

A  prison?  Ay!  One  must  never  forget  the 
most  illustrious  prisoner  ever  confined  in  its 
gloomy  oubliettes  —  though,  to  tell  the  honest 
truth,  Chillon  never  had  any  oubliettes.  Tar- 
tarin  de  Tarascon,  tamer  of  camels,  destroyer 
of  African  lions,  slayer  of  the  super-Alpine 
chamois  —  we  see  him  passing  disdainfully 
amid  the  attractions  of  the  glittering  shops  of 
Montreux,  only  to  be  arrested  as  a  Russian 


A  Digression  at  Chillon  129 

Nihilist  and,  under  threat  of  being  gagged  un- 
less he  keep  his  mouth  shut,  borne  away  to  the 
very  castle  sacred  to  the  memory  of  Bonivard, 
in  whom  he  had  lost  faith,  since  William  Tell 
had  become  a  myth !  Here  is  the  vivid  picture 
as  chronicled  by  Daudet :  — 

11  The  carriage  rolled  across  a  drawbridge, 
between  tiny  shops  where  trinkets  were  for  sale 
—  chamois-skin  articles,  pocket-knives,  button- 
hooks, combs  and  the  like  —  passed  under  a  low 
postern  and  came  to  a  stop  in  the  grass-grown 
courtyard  of  an  old  castle  flanked  by  round 
pepper-box  towers,  with  black  balconies  held  up 
by  beams.  Where  was  he?  Tartarin  under- 
stood when  he  heard  the  police  captain  talking 
with  the  doorkeeper  of  the  castle,  a  fat  man  in 
a  Greek  cap,  shaking  a  huge  bunch  of  rusty 
keys. 

"  '  In  solitary  confinement!  —  But  I  haven't 
any  more  room.  The  rest  of  them  occupy  all 
the  —  unless  we  put  him  in  Bonivard 's  dun- 
geon. ' 

"  '  Put  him  in  Bonivard 's  dungeon  then; 
it's  quite  good  enough  for  him,'  said  the  cap- 
tain authoritatively.  And  his  commands  were 
obeyed. 

' '  This  Castle  of  Chillon,  which  the  President 
of  the  Alpine  Club  had  been  for  two  days  con- 


130  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

stantly  talking  about  to  his  friends,  the  Alpin- 
ists, and  in  which,  by  the  irony  of  fate,  he  sud- 
denly found  himself  imprisoned  without  know- 
ing why,  is  one  of  the  historical  monuments  of 
Switzerland.  After  having  served  as  a  sum- 
mer residence  of  the  Counts  of  Savoy,  then  as 
a  State  prison,  a  depot  of  arms  and  stores,  it 
is  now  only  an  excuse  for  an  excursion,  like  the 
Rigi-Kulm  or  the  Tellsplatte.  There  is  how- 
ever a  police-station  there  and  a  lock-up  for 
drunkards  and  the  wilder  youths  of  the  dis- 
trict; but  such  inmates  are  rare,  as  La  Vaud  is 
a  most  peaceful  canton;  thus  the  lock-up  is  for 
the  most  part  untenanted  and  the  keeper  keeps 
his  winter  fuel  in  it.  So  the  arrival  of  all  these 
prisoners  had  put  him  in  a  bad  humour,  par- 
ticularly when  it  occurred  to  him  that  he  should 
no  longer  be  able  to  pilot  people  through  the 
famous  dungeons,  which  was  at  that  season  at- 
tended with  no  little  profit. 

"  Filled  with  rage,  he  led  the  way  and  Tar- 
tarin  timidly  followed  him,  making  no  resist- 
ance. A  few  worn  steps,  a  musty  corridor, 
smelling  like  a  cellar,  a  door  as  thick  as  a  wall, 
with  enormous  hinges,  and  there  they  were  in 
a  vast  subterranean  vault,  with  deeply  worn 
floor  and  solid  Roman  columns  on  which  hung 
the  iron  rings  to  which  in  former  times  prison- 


THE    PRISON    OF    BONIVARD    IN    THE    CASTLE    OF    CHILLON. 


A  Digression  at  Chillon  131 

ers  of  state  were  chained.  A  dim  twilight  fil- 
tered in  and  the  rippling  lake  was  reflected 
through  the  narrow  loop-holes,  which  allowed 
only  a  slender  strip  of  sky  to  be  seen. 

"  '  This  is  your  place,'  said  the  jailer.  '  Mind 
you  do  not  go  to  the  end;  the  oubliettes  are 
there. ' 

"  Tartarin  drew  back  in  horror. 

"  '  The  oubliettes!  Noudiou!  '  he  exclaimed. 

1 '  '  What  would  you  have,  man  alive  f  I  was 
ordered  to  put  you  in  Bonivard's  dungeon.  I 
have  put  you  in  Bonivard's  dungeon.  Now, 
if  you  have  the  wherewithal,  I  can  supply  you 
with  some  luxuries,  such  as  a  mattress  and  a 
coverlet  for  the  night.' 

"  '  Let  me  have  something  to  eat  first,'  said 
Tartarin,  whose  purse  fortunately  had  not  been 
taken  from  him. 

"  The  doorkeeper  returned  with  fresh 
bread,  beer  and  a  Bologna  sausage,  and  these 
were  eagerly  devoured  by  the  new  prisoner  of 
Chillon,  who  had  not  broken  his  fast  since  the 
day  before,  and  was  worn  out  with  fatigue  and 
emotion.  .While  he  was  eating  it  on  his  stone 
bench,  in  the  dim  light  of  the  embrasure,  the 
jailer  was  steadily  studying  him  with  a  good- 
natured  expression. 

"  '  Faith,'  said  he,  '  I  don't  know  what  you 


132  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

have  been  doing  and  why  you  are  treated  so 
severely.  .  .  .   ' 

1 '  '  Eh !  coquin  de  sort,  no  more  do  I.  I  know 
nothing  at  all  about  it,'  replied  Tartarin,  with 
his  mouth  full. 

"  '  At  any  rate,  one  thing  is  certain  —  you 
don't  look  like  a  criminal  and  I  am  sure  you 
would  never  keep  a  poor  father  of  a  family 
from  gaining  his  living,  eh  ?  Well,  then,  I  have 
upstairs  a  whole  throng  of  people  who  have 
come  to  see  Bonivard's  dungeon.  If  you  will 
give  me  your  word  to  keep  still  and  not  attempt 
to  escape  —  ' 

1 '  The  worthy  Tartarin  at  once  gave  his  word 
and  five  minutes  later  he  saw  his  dungeon  in- 
vaded by  his  old  acquaintances  of  the  Rigi- 
Kulm  and  the  Tellsplatte  —  the  stupid  Schwan- 
thaler,  the  ineptissimus  Astier-Rehu,  the  mem- 
ber of  the  Jockey  Club  with  his  niece  (hum!  — 
hum!),  all  the  Cook's  tourists.  Ashamed  and 
afraid  of  being  recognized,  the  unhappy  man 
hid  behind  the  pillars,  retiring  and  stealing 
away  as  he  saw  the  tourists  approach,  preceded 
by  his  jailer  and  that  worthy's  rigmarole,  re- 
cited in  a  lugubrious  tone,  '  This  is  where  the 
unfortunate  Bonivard  —  ' 

' '  They  came  forward  slowly,  retarded  by  the 
disputes  of  the  two  savants,  who  were  all  the 


A  Digression  at  Chillon  133 

time  quarrelling,  ready  to  fly  at  each  other  — 
one  waving  his  camp-stool,  the  other  his  travel- 
ling-bag, in  fantastic  attitudes  which  the  half- 
light  magnified  along  the  vaulted  dungeon  roof. 

"  By  the  very  exigency  of  retreat,  Tartarin 
found  himself  at  last  near  the  opening  of  the 
oubliettes  —  a  black  pit,  open  level  with  the 
floor,  breathing  an  odor  of  past  ages,  damp  and 
chilling.  Alarmed,  he  paused,  crouched  in  a 
corner,  pulling  his  cap  over  his  eyes ;  but  the 
damp  saltpeter  of  the  walls  affected  him  and 
suddenly  a  loud  sneeze,  which  made  the  tour- 
ists start  back,  betrayed  him. 

"  *  Hold!  Bonivard!'  exclaimed  the  saucy 
little  Parisienne  in  the  Directoire  hat,  whom  the 
member  of  the  Jockey  Club  called  his  niece. 

"  The  Tarasconian  did  not  permit  himself  to 
display  any  signs  of  being  disturbed. 

"  '  These  oubliettes  are  really  very  interest- 
ing,' he  remarked,  in  the  most  natural  tone  in 
the  world,  as  if  he  also  were  a  mere  pleasure- 
seeker  visiting  the  dungeon.  Then  he  joined 
the  other  tourists,  who  smiled  when  they  recog- 
nized the  Alpinist  of  the  Rigi-Kulm,  the  main- 
spring of  the  famous  ball. 

"  '  He!  Mossie!  —  ballir,  'dantsir!  ' 

"  The  comical  outline  of  the  little  fairy 
Schwanthaler  presented  itself  before  him  ready 


134  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

to  dance.  Truly  he  had  a  great  mind  to  dance 
with  her.  Then,  not  knowing  how  to  get  rid  of 
this  excited  bit  of  womanhood,  he  offered  his 
arm  and  gallantly  showed  her  his  dungeon  — 
the  ring  whereon  the  prisoner's  chain  had  been 
riveted ;  the  traces  of  his  footsteps  worn  in  the 
rock  around  the  same  column;  and,  hearing 
Tartarin  speak  with  such  facility,  the  good  lady 
never  suspected  that  he  who  was  walking  with 
her  was  also  a  state  prisoner  —  a  victim  to  the 
injustice  and  the  wickedness  of  man.  Terrible, 
for  instance,  was  the  parting,  when  the  unfor- 
tunate '  Bonivard,'  having  led  his  partner  to 
the  door,  took  leave  of  her  with  the  smile  of  a 
society  gentleman,  saying,  '  No,  thank  you,  — 
I  will  stay  here  a  moment  longer. '  She  bowed, 
and  the  jailer,  who  was  on  the  alert,  locked  and 
bolted  the  door  to  the  great  astonishment  of  all. 

"  What  an  insult !  He  was  bathed  in  the  per- 
spiration of  agony,  as  he  listened  to  the  excla- 
mations of  the  departing  visitors.  Fortunately 
such  torture  as  this  was  not  inflicted  on  him 
again  that  day.  The  bad  weather  deterred 
tourists.  .  .  .  " 

In  the  morning  he  is  rudely  awakened,  and 
brought  before  the  prefect,  charged  with  being 
the  dreaded  Eussian  incendiary  and  assassin, 
Manilof, 


A  Digression  at  Chillon  135 

It  is  soon  made  manifest  that  there  is  a 
dreadful  mistake.  The  prefect,  angry  at  hav- 
ing been  sent  for  nnder  false  pretences,  cries 
in  a  terrible  voice:  — "  Well,  then,  what  are 
you  doing  here  ?  ' ' 

"  '  That  is  just  what  I  want  to  know,'  replies 
the  V.  C.  A.,  with  all  the  assurance  of  inno- 
cence. ' ' 

And  Tartarin  is  set  free.  Verily,  we  look 
among  the  names  scribbled  on  the  walls  — 
names  of  great  writers  and  men  of  less  distinc- 
tion—  Rousseau,  Byron,  Victor  Hugo,  George 
Sand,  Shelley,  Eugene  Sue  —  for  the  immortal 
autograph  of  Tartarin  de  Tarascon.  It  must 
have  been  carried  off  bodily,  like  the  picture  of 
Mona  Lisa!  But  Tartarin  himself  is  just  as 
much  an  inhabitant  of  the  vaults  as  Byron's 
Bonivard.  And  was  not  the  policeman  whom 
we  caught  sight  of  on  the  quai  at  Montreux  the 
very  one  whose  long  blue  capote  was  turned  so 
persistently  toward  the  omnibus  in  which  rode 
the  Tarasconian  quartet? 


CHAPTER   VIII 

LORD  BYRON  AND  THE  LAKE 

ORD  BYRON,  in  1816,  landed  on  this 
very  spot  with  his  friend  John  Cam 
Hobhouse.  They  came  over  from 
Clarens,  probably  in  a  naae,  whose 
name,  as  well  as  its  shape,  harked  back  to  olden 
days.    Byron  wrote  about  it :  — 

* '  I  feel  myself  under  the  charm  of  the  spirit 
of  this  country.  My  soul  is  repeopled  with 
Nature.  Scenes  like  this  have  been  created  for 
the  dwelling-place  of  the  Gods.  Limpid  Leman, 
the  sail  of  thy  barque  in  which  I  glide  over  the 
surface  of  thy  mirror  appears  to  me  a  silent 
wing  which  separates  me  from  a  noisy  life.  I 
loved  formerly  the  warring  of  the  furious 
ocean ;  but  thy  soft  murmuring  affects  me  like 
the  voice  of  a  sister. 

"  Chillon!  thou  art  a  sacred  place.  Thy 
pavement  is  an  altar,  for  the  footsteps  of  Bon- 
ivard  have  left  their  traces  there.  Let  these 
traces  remain  indelible.  They  appeal  to  God 
from  the  tyranny  of  man. ' ' 

136 


Lord  Byron  and  the  Lake         137 

Byron  made  the  fame  of  Cliillon,  and  his 
Bonivard  (or,  as  he  spelt  the  name  with  two 
n's,  Bonnivard)  was  a  far  more  ideal  patriot 
than  the  actual  prisoner,  whose  character  has 
been  shown  of  late  years  in  a  somewhat  un- 
favourable light.  Byron  was  devoted  to  the 
Lake  of  Geneva.  He  commemorated  some  of 
the  great  names  associated  with  its  shores  in 
a  sonnet,  one  of  the  few  that  he  ever  wrote :  — 

"  Rousseau  —  Voltaire  —  our  Gibbon  —  and  De  Stael  — 
Leman!  these  names  are  worthy  of  thy  shore, 
Thy  shore  of  names  like  these.    Wert  thou  no  more 
Their  memory  thy  remembrance  would  recall : 
To  them  thy  banks  were  lovely  as  to  all 

But  they  have  made  them  lovelier,  for  the  lore 
Of  mighty  minds  doth  hallow  in  the  core 
Of  human  hearts  the  ruin  of  a  wall 

"  Where  dwells  the  wise  and  wondrous;  but  by  thee 
How  much  more,  Lake  of  Beauty,  do  we  feel 
In  sweetly  gliding  o'er  thy  crystal  sea 
The  wild  glow  of  that  not  ungentle  zeal 
Which  of  the  Heirs  of  Immortality 
Is  proud  and  makes  the  breath  of  Glory  real." 

Can  it  be  that  Lord  Byron  pronounced 
"  real  "  as  if  it  were  a  monosyllable?  But  he 
also  wrote  "  There  let  it  lay!  " 

There  are,  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Geneva, 


138  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

several  hotels  associated  with  Byron.  At  the 
Anchor  Inn,  still  extant  at  Ouchy,  he  wrote  that 
misleading  rhapsody  — "  The  Prisoner  of 
Chillon." 

He  had  in  1816  definitely  separated  from  his 
wife  and  had  shaken  the  dust  of  England  from 
his  poetic  shoes.  Percy  Bysshe  Shelley  with  his 
wife  and  daughter,  Williams,  and  Jane  Clair- 
mont,  Mary  Shelley's  half-sister,  were  estab- 
lished at  Secheron,  a  suburb  of  Geneva.  Byron 
had  never  met  the  Poet  of  the  Sky-lark,  but 
Jane  Clairmont,  who  was  a  passionate,  fiery- 
eyed  brunette,  imbued  with  her  father's  ideas 
of  free  love,  had  begun  her  unfortunate  liaison 
with  him,  having  deliberately  thrown  herself 
into  his  arms.  They  had  met  clandestinely  a 
number  of  times  just  before  their  departure 
from  England. 

Byron  and  Shelley  were  both  fond  of  sailing 
and  they  had  many  excursions  on  the  lake.  One 
evening  they  were  out  together  when  the  bise, 
as  the  strong  northwest  wind  is  called,  was 
blowing.  They  drifted  before  it  and,  getting 
into  the  current  of  the  Ehone,  were  carried 
swiftly  toward  the  piles  at  the  entrance  of  Ge- 
neva harbour.  It  required  all  the  strength  of 
their  boatmen  to  extricate  them  from  the  dan- 
ger. 


Lord  Byron  and  the  Lake         139 

"  I  will  sing  you  an  Albanian  song,"  cried 
Byron.  "  Now  be  sentimental  and  give  me  all 
your  attention." 

They  expected  a  melancholy  Eastern  melody, 
but,  instead,  lie  uttered  "  a  strange,  wild  howl  " 
admirably  suited  to  the  dashing  waves  with 
which  they  were  struggling.  A  few  days  later 
the  Shelleys  moved  across  to  the  south  side  of 
the  lake,  and  settled  down  at  Campagne  Mont- 
Allegre.  Byron  stayed  at  Secheron,  but  used 
often  to  row  over  to  visit  them.  Finally,  he 
himself  rented  the  Villa  Diodati,  which  stands 
a  little  higher  up. 

He  and  Shelley  made  a  tour  of  the  lake  and 
had  some  exciting  experiences.  They  left 
Mont-Allegre  on  June  23  and  spent  the  first 
night  at  Nerni,  where  Byron  declared  he  had 
not  slept  in  such  a  bed  since  he  left  Greece  five 
years  before.  At  Evian,  on  the  French  side, 
they  had  trouble  with  their  passports,  but,  when 
the  Syndic  learned  Byron's  name  and  rank,  he 
apologized  for  their  treatment  of  him  and  left 
him  in  peace.  On  June  26  they  were  at  Chillon. 
Off  Meillerie  they  were  attacked  by  what  Byron 
called  a  squall.  Shelley  described  it  in  a  letter 
to  Thomas  Love  Peacock :  — 

"  The  wind  gradually  increased  in  violence, 
until  it  blew  tremendously;    and  as  it  came 


140         The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

from  the  remotest  extremity  of  the  lake,  pro- 
duced waves  of  a  frightful  height,  and  covered 
the  whole  surface  with  a  chaos  of  foam.  One 
of  our  boatmen,  who  was  a  dreadfully  stupid 
fellow,  persisted  in  holding  the  sail  at  a  time 
when  the  boat  was  on  the  point  of  being  driven 
under  water  by  the  hurricane.  On  discovering 
his  error  he  let  it  entirely  go  and  the  boat  for 
a  moment  refused  to  obey  the  helm ;  in  addi- 
tion the  rudder  was  so  broken  as  to  render  the 
management  of  it  very  difficult;  one  wave  fell 
in,  and  then  another.  My  companion,  an  excel- 
lent swimmer,  took  off  his  coat,  I  did  the  same, 
and  we  sat  with  our  arms  crossed,  every  instant 
expecting  to  be  swamped.  The  sail  was,  how- 
ever, again  held,  the  boat  obeyed  the  helm,  and 
still  in  imminent  peril  from  the  immensity  of 
the  waves,  we  arrived  in  a  few  minutes  at  a 
sheltered  port,  in  the  village  of  Saint-Gin- 
goux. ' ' 

Byron,  in  a  letter  to  John  Murray,  wrote :  — 
"  I  ran  no  risk,  being  so  near  the  rocks,  and  a 
good  swimmer;  but  our  party  were  wet  and 
incommodated  a  good  deal;  the  wind  was 
strong  enough  to  blow  down  some  trees,  as  we 
found  at  landing." 

He  was  at  this  very  time  engaged  in  com- 
posing the  third  canto  of  "  Childe  Harold." 


MONT    BLANC. 


Lord  Byron  and  the  Lake         141 

On  the  third  of  June  he  had  been  dazzled  by  a 
glimpse  of  ' '  yonder  Alpine  snow  —  Imperish- 
ably  pure  beyond  all  things  below,' '  and  a 
month  later  he  wrote,  "  I  have  this  day  ob- 
served for  some  time  the  distinct  reflection  of 
Mont  Blanc  and  Mont  Argentiere  in  the  calm 
of  the  lake,  which  I  was  crossing  in  my  boat. 
The  distance  of  these  mountains  from  their 
mirror  is  sixty  miles."  In  the  poem  he  sings 
—  I  believe  that  is  the  proper  verb !  — 


"  Lake  Leman  woos  me  with  its  crystal  face, 
The  mirror  where  the  stars  and  mountains  view 
The  stillness  of  their  aspect  in  each  trace 
Its  clear  depth  yields  of  their  far  height  and  hue: 
There  is  too  much  of  man  here,  to  look  through 
With  a  fit  mind  the  might  which  I  behold; 
But  soon  in  me  shall  Loneliness  renew 
Thoughts  hid,  but  not  less  cherish'd  than  of  old, 

Ere  mingling  with  the  herd  had  penned  me  in  its  fold.    .  . 

"  Is  it  not  better,  then,  to  be  alone 
And  love  Earth  only  for  its  earthly  sake 
By  the  blue  rushing  of  the  arrowy  Rhone, 
Or  the  pure  bosom  of  its  nursing  lake, 
Which  feeds  it  as  a  mother  who  doth  make 
A  fair  but  froward  infant  her  own  care, 
Kissing  its  cries  away  as  these  awake;  — 
Is  it  not  better  thus  our  lives  to  wear, 

Than  join  the  crushing  crowd,  doomed  to  inflict  or  bear? 


142  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

"  I  live  not  in  myself,  but  I  become 
Portion  of  that  around  me;  and  to  me, 
High  mountains  are  a  feeling,  but  the  hum 
Of  human  cities  torture:  I  can  see 
Nothing  to  loathe  in  nature,  save  to  be 
A  link  reluctant  in  a  fleshly  chain, 
Glassed  among  creatures,  when  the  soul  can  flee, 
And  with  the  sky,  the  peak,  the  heaving  plain 

Of  ocean,  or  the  stars,  mingle,  and  not  in  vain." 

And  again  further  along :  — 

"  Clear,  placid  Leman!  thy  contrasted  lake, 
With  the  wide  world  I  dwelt  in,  is  a  thing 
Which  warns  me,  with  its  stillness,  to  forsake 
Earth's  troubled  waters  for  a  purer  spring. 
This  quiet  sail  is  as  a  noiseless  wing 
To  waft  me  from  distraction;  once  I  loved 
Torn  ocean's  roar,  but  thy  soft  murmuring 
Sounds  sweet  as  if  a  Sister's  voice  reproved, 

That  I  with  stern  delights  should  e'er  have  been  so  moved." 

And  how  beautifully  he  describes  night  on 
the  lake :  — 

"  It  is  the  hush  of  night,  and  all  between 
Thy  margin  and  the  mountains,  dusk,  yet  clear, 
Mellowed  and  mingling,  yet  distinctly  seen, 
Save  darkened  Jura,  whose  capt  heights  appear 
Precipitously  steep;  and  drawing  near, 
There  breathes  a  living  fragrance  from  the  shore, 
Of  flowers  yet  fresh  with  childhood ;  on  the  ear 
Drops  the  light  drip  of  the  suspended  oar, 

Or  chirps  the  grasshopper  one  good-night  carol  more; 


Lord  Byron  and  the  Lake         143 

."  He  is  an  evening  reveller,  who  makes 

His  life  an  infancy,  and  sings  his  fill; 

At  intervals,  some  bird  from  out  the  brakes 

Starts  into  voice  a  moment,  then  is  still. 

There  seems  a  floating  whisper  on  the  hill, 

But  that  is  fancy,  for  the  starlight  dews 

All  silently  their  tears  of  love  instil, 

Weeping  themselves  away,  till  they  infuse 
Deep  into  Nature's  breast  the  spirit  of  her  hues. 


"  Ye  stars!  which  are  the  poetry  of  heaven, 
If  in  your  bright  leaves  we  would  read  the  fate 
Of  men  and  empires,  —  'tis  to  be  forgiven, 
That  in  our  aspirations  to  be  great, 
Our  destinies  o'erleap  their  mortal  state, 
And  claim  a  kindred  with  you;  for  ye  are 
A  beauty  and  a  mystery,  and  create 
In  us  such  love  and  reverence  from  afar, 

That  fortune,  fame,  power,  life,  have  named  themselves  a 
star. 


"  All    heaven    and    earth    are    still  —  though   not    in 
sleep, 
But  breathless,  as  we  grow  when  feeling  most: 
And  silent,  as  we  stand  in  thoughts  too  deep :  — 
All  heaven  and  earth  are  still:  From  the  high  host 
Of  stars,  to  the  lulled  lake  and  mountain-coast, 
All  is  concentered  in  a  life  intense, 
Where  not  a  beam,  nor  air,  nor  leaf  is  lost, 
But  hath  a  part  of  being,  and  a  sense 

Of  that  which  is  of  all  Creator  and  defence." 


144  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

He  is  in  his  darkest,  gloomiest,  most  charac- 
teristic pose  when  he  describes  a  storm  at 
night :  — 

"  The  sky  is  changed!  and  such  a  change!    O  night 
And  storm  and  darkness,  ye  are  wondrous  strong, 
Yet  lovely  in  your  strength,  as  in  the  light 
Of  a  dark  eye  in  woman!    Far  along, 
From  peak  to  peak,  the  rattling  crags  among, 
Leaps  the  live  thunder!    Not  from  one  lone  cloud, 
But  every  mountain  now  hath  found  a  tongue ; 
And  Jura  answers,  through  her  misty  shroud, 

Back  to  the  joyous  Alps,  who  call  to  her  aloud! 

"  And  this  is  in  the  night:  —  Most  glorious  night! 

Thou  wert  not  sent  for  slumber!  let  me  be 

A  sharer  in  thy  fierce  and  far  delight  — 

A  portion  of  the  tempest  and  of  thee! 

How  the  lit  lake  shines,  a  phosphoric  sea, 

And  the  big  rain  comes  dancing  to  the  earth! 

And  now  again  'tis  black,  —  and  now,  the  glee 

Of  the  loud  hills  shakes  with  its  mountain-mirth, 
As  if  they  did  rejoice  o'er  a  young  earthquake's  birth. 

"  Now,  where  the  swift  Rhone  cleaves  his  way  between 
Heights  which  appear  as  lovers  who  have  parted 
In  hate,  whose  mining  depths  so  intervene, 
That  they  can  meet  no  more,  though  broken-hearted; 
Though  in  their  souls,  which  thus  each  other  thwarted, 
Love  was  the  very  root  of  the  fond  rage 
Which  blighted  their  life's  bloom,  and  then  departed; 
Itself  expired,  but  leaving  them  an  age 

Of  years  all  winters  —  war  within  themselves  to  wage. 


Lord  Byron  and  the  Lake         145 


"  Now,  where  the  quick  Rhone  thus  hath  cleft  his  way, 
The  mightiest  of  the  storms  hath  ta'en  his  stand: 
For  here,  not  one,  but  many,  make  their  play, 
And  fling  their  thunderbolts  from  hand  to  hand, 
Flashing  and  cast  around;  of  all  the  band, 
The  brightest  through  these  parted  hills  hath  forked 
His  lightnings,  as  if  he  did  understand 
That  in  such  gaps  as  desolation  worked, 

There  the  hot  shaft  should  blast  whatever  therein  lurked. 

"  Sky,  mountains,  river,  winds,  lake,  lightnings!  ye, 
With  night,  and  clouds,  and  thunder,  and  a  soul 
To  make  these  felt  and  feeling,  well  may  be 
Things  that  have  made  me  watchful;  the  far  roll 
Of  your  departing  voices,  is  the  knoll 
Of  what  in  me  is  sleepless, —  if  I  rest. 
But  where  of  ye,  0  tempests!  is  the  goal? 
Are  ye  like  those  within  the  human  breast? 

Or  do  ye  find  at  length,  like  eagles,  some  high  nest? 

"  Could  I  embody  and  unbosom  now 
That  which  is  most  within  me,  —  could  I  wreak 
My  thoughts  upon  expression,  and  thus  throw 
Soul,  heart,  mind,  passions,  feelings,  strong  or  weak, 
All  that  I  would  have  sought,  and  all  I  seek, 
Bear,  know,  feel,  and  yet  breathe  —  into  one  word, 
And  that  one  word  were  Lightning,  I  would  speak; 
But  as  it  is,  I  live  and  die  unheard, 

With  a  most  voiceless  thought,  sheathing  it  as  a  sword." 

The  Swiss  poet,  Juste  Olivier,  grows  enthusi- 
astic over  the  beauty  of  Chillon :  — 


146  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

1 

"  What  perfection!  "  he  exclaims,  "  What 
purity  of  lines,  what  suavity  of  harmony!  In 
this  gulf  which  one  might  describe  as  merging 
from  the  lake  like  a  thought  of  love,  in  this 
manoir  growing  out  of  the  bosom  of  the  billows 
with  its  dentelated  towers,  petals  bourgeonning 
from  a  noble  flower,  in  this  encirclement  of 
mountains  and  these  white  or  rosy  peaks  which 
hold  them  in  close  embrace,  there  is  something 
which  bids  you  pause,  takes  you  out  of  your- 
self and  in  order  to  complete  the  enchantment 
compels  you  to  love  it." 

And  he  goes  on  to  tell  how  once  dwelt  here 
the  little  Charlemagne,  brave  Count  Pierre, 
who,  when  he  was  ill,  used  to  look  out  on  the 
joyous  waves,  living  in  memory  his  battles,  his 
tourneys  and  his  festivities.  Here,  too,  his 
brother,  the  Seigneur  Aymon,  used  to  lie  on  a 
vast  bed  with  hangings  of  armorial  silk  and 
surrounded  by  candles,  while  he  listened  to 
melancholy  tales  or  comic  adventures  from  the 
poor  pilgrims  whom  he  sheltered.  In  that  day 
the  feudal  kitchen,  with  its  marquetrie  floor, 
used  to  see  a  whole  ox  roasted  to  give  meat  to 
the  visitors,  and  great  casks  of  wine  from  the 
Haut  Cret  used  to  cheer  the  down-hearted. 
Little  did  the  revellers  care  for  the  poor 
wretches  below  in  the  dungeons  where  the  light 


Lord  Byron  and  the  Lake         147 

filtering  through  the  loop-holes  failed  to  dissi- 
pate the  gloomy  shadows  or  make  clearer  the 
visions  which  solitude  evoked  from  the  stormy; 
strip  of  sky. 

The  finest  aspect  of  Chillon  is  from  a  point 
just  a  few  hundred  meters  out  into  the  lake. 
There  it  has  a  double  background;  the  steep, 
green-wooded  slope  tumbling  down  from  the 
Bois  de  la  Raveyre,  and,  beyond  the  head  of 
the  lake,  the  saw-like  roof  of  the  snow-capped 
Dent  du  Midi.  It  does  indeed  look  like  a  tooth 
■ — like  the  colossal  molar  of  the  king  of  the 
mastodons.  It  was  too  early  in  the  day  to  see 
the  Alpenglow;  but  afterwards  many  times  I 
saw  it,  not  only  on  this  imperial  height  but  also 
on  the  heads  of  Mont  Blanc  and  his  haughty 
vassals  and  on  many  another  sky-defying 
range,  either  bare  of  snow  or  wearing  the  er- 
mine of  the  clouds. 

As  it  happened,  that  beautiful  day  in  May, 
not  a  cloud,  not  a  wisp  of  cloud,  hovered  over 
the  rugged  bosom  of  the  mighty  mountain.  It 
stood  out  with  startling  clearness  against  a 
dazzling  blue  sky,  and  was  framed  between  the 
converging  slopes  of  the  mountains  that  meet 
the  lake  beyond  Chillon  and  on  the  other  side, 
beyond  Villeneuve.    The  lofty  red-capped  cen- 


148  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

tral  tower  of  the  ancient  castle  seemed  as  high, 
or  rather  made  the  first  step  up  to  the  moun- 
tains that  cut  off  the  view  of  the  base  of  the 
grander  height. 

Taken  all  in  all,  is  there  on  earth  any  bit  of 
landscape  more  interesting  and  thrilling  in  its 
combination  of  picturesque  beauty  and  histor- 
ical association? 


CHAPTER   IX 

A   PKINCESS   AND   THE   SPELL    OF    THE   LAKE 

EARS  ago  I  used  to  know  the  Princess 
Koltsova-Masalskaya,  who  under  the 
name  of  Dora  d'Istria  wrote  many 
stories  and  semi-historical  works. 
She  was  a  most  cultivated  and  fascinating 
woman.  In  her  book,  "  Au  Bord  des  Lacs 
Helvetiques, "  she  criticizes  Lord  Byron's  de- 
scription of  Lake  Leman.    She  says :  — 

"  When  one  comes  in  the  spring  to  the  Pays 
de  Vaud,  one  does  not  at  first  see  all  the 
beauty  so  many  times  celebrated  by  poets  and 
travelers.  In  rereading  Byron  and  Jean- 
Jacques  Rousseau,  one  is  inclined  to  conjecture 
that  they  were  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  quite 
fanciful  descriptions,  in  order  to  justify  their 
boasts. 

1 '  Byron,  in  spite  of  the  power  of  his  genius, 
is  a  rather  vulgar  painter  of  the  splendors  of 
nature.  He  contents  himself  with  vague  traits 
and  what  he  says  of  the  Lake  of  Geneva  would 

149 


150  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

apply  just  as  well  to  the  Lake  of  the  Four  Can- 
tons or  the  Lake  of  Zurich.  Rousseau  himself 
seems  to  have  found  the  subject  only  partly 
poetic,  for  he  exhausts  himself  in  describing 
Julie's  imaginary  orchard,  which  would  have 
been  much  better  situated  in  the  Emmenthal 
than  on  the  vine-covered  slopes  above  Lake 
Leman.  In  gazing  at  the  hillsides,  rough  with 
the  blackened  grape-vines,  one  can  easily  un- 
derstand the  motive  which  prompted  the  author 
of  '  La  Nouvelle  Heloi'se  '  to  prefer  an  ideal 
picture  to  the  reality. 

"  When  one  leaves  the  plain  in  the  month  of 
April,  one  has  already  enjoyed  the  smiles  of 
the  Spring.  The  fresh  young  grass  covers  the 
earth  with  an  emerald-colored  carpet.  The 
willows  swing  their  silvery  catkins  at  the  edges 
of  the  streams,  while  along  the  edges  of  the 
forests  gleams  the  silvery  calix  of  the  wood- 
anemone.  Here,  the  vines  are  slower;  the 
walnut-trees  have  not  been  hasty  in  opening 
their  big  buds  and,  as  the  shores  of  the  Lake  of 
Geneva  have  very  little  other  vegetation  than 
walnut-trees  and  vines,  this  region  presents, 
during  the  first  fine  days,  an  aspect  not  calcu« 
lated  to  seduce  the  eye  or  speak  to  the  imagi- 
nation. 

"  We  should  get  a  very  false  idea  of  it,  how- 


A  Princess  and  the  Spell  of  the  Lake   151 

ever,  if  at  this  season  of  the  year  we  visited 
only  the  shores  of  the  lake,  and  did  not  make 
our  way  up  into  the  mountains  where  so  many 
fruit  trees  spread  over  the  rejuvenated  turf  the 
fragrant  snow  of  their  petals." 

The  Princess  tells  how  Eleonora  de  Haltingen 
came  to  reside  at  Veytaux  with  her  mother  in 
November,  1858.  She  liked  to  go  down  to  Mon- 
treux,  "  the  principal  group  of  houses  in  that 
parish."  She  used  to  follow  a  path  thus  de- 
scribed :  —  "A  foot-path  worn  among  the  vines 
led  toward  the  grotto  surmounted  by  the  ter- 
race of  the  church.  This  foot-path  was  imprac- 
ticable for  crinolines;  no  dust  was  found,  or 
pallid  misses  with  blue  veils,  or  tourists  with 
airs  of  conquerors,  or  noisy  children  —  all  such 
things  spoil  the  most  delicious  landscapes.  But 
one  could  admire  at  one's  ease  the  luxurious 
vegetation  of  the  vines,  the  transparent  grapes, 
the  flexible  and  shining  leaves  of  the  maise 
growing  amid  the  vineyards.  .  .  . 

"  "We  admired  the  magnificent  spectacle 
spread  before  our  eyes,,,  continues  her  biog- 
rapher, "  as  we  picked  bouquets  of  the  silene 
which  makes  great,  rosy  clusters  in  the  old 
walls.  These  walls  are  placed  there  to  hold  up 
the  vines  and  they  serve  as  a  retreat  for  a  mul- 
titude of  swift  lizards  which  sleep  there  during 


152  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

the  winter  and  whose  bright  little  faces  and 
infantile  curiosity  were  a  delight  to  us.  As 
soon  as  we  had  passed  a  few  steps  beyond  their 
holes  we  could  see  them  emerge,  cock  up  their 
heads,  turning  to  the  right  and  then  to  the  left, 
with  their  bright  eyes  sparkling,  and  then  dart 
away  whenever  there  would  be  heard  on  the 
path  the  heavy  shoes  used  by  the  Vaudois 
women,  for  it  is  said  that  their  musical  ear 
likes  only  harmonious  noises.  This  inquisitive- 
ness  must  cost  the  poor  little  saurians  dear. 
The  bald-buzzards,  wheeling  in  the  blue  above 
our  heads,  seemed  by  no  means  indifferent  to 
their  movements.  And  so  we  kept  finding  one 
and  another  that  showed  traces  of  an  existence 
very  difficult  to  preserve.  One  would  lack  a 
paw,  another  its  tail.  Finally  several,  covered 
with  dust,  their  skins  faded  and  their  eyes 
dulled,  fled  precipitately  so  as  to  leave  the  foot- 
path free  to  those  of  their  brethren  whose 
bright  and  gilded  garb  contrasted  with  their 
air  of  wretchedness  and  suffering,  so  deeply 
does  misfortune  modify  the  most  sociable  char- 
acter." 

Then,  after  they  had  enlarged  their  bouquets 
by  jasmine  and  syringa  blossoms,  with  Alpine 
roses  and  golden-tinged  cytisus,  they  would  go 
to  the  grotto  and  from  there  to  the  terrace  be- 


A  Princess  and  the  Spell  of  the  Lake    153 

hind  the  church.  The  Princess  thus  describes 
the  scene :  — 

"  Sheltered  by  enormous  walnut-trees,  this 
grotto,  which  opens  in  a  crag  hung  with  ivy, 
gives  passage  to  a  brook  which  falls  with  a 
gentle  murmur  past  a  bathing  establishment,  a 
three-storied,  rustic  chalet  charming  to  look  at. 
Jasmines  and  rose-bush  boxes  deck  the  ground- 
floor  and  the  first  story  with  their  graceful 
branches  and  give  the  place  the  appearance  of 
a  mass  of  verdure  and  of  flowers. 

"  A  foot-path,  worn  under  the  walnut-trees 
along  the  mountain,  gives  passage  to  the  church 
and  the  terrace,  which  extends  south  of  the  edi- 
fice and  affords  one  of  the  most  beautiful  views 
in  the  Pays  de  Vaud.  Of  a  summer  morning, 
toward  nine  o  'clock,  one  can  find  the  most  mar- 
vellous tints  spread  over  the  lake.  Over  a 
sparkling  azure  ground  wander  designs  in 
graceful  silvery  curves.  The  sapphire  itself 
seems  robbed  of  its  brilliancy  beside  these 
waters.  The  metallic  glitter  of  the  bright  blue 
wing  of  the  king-fisher  may  give  some  idea  of 
this  almost  fantastic  shade,  which  seems  to 
belong  to  another  universe. 

"  We  could  never  tire  of  contemplating  this 
spectacle,  the  face  of  which  changes  with  the 
color  of  the  sky.     Sometimes  a  cloud,  passing 


154  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

across  the  mountains  of  Savoy,  cast  on  their 
bald  brows,  or  on  their  verdant  sides,  a  shadow- 
as  gigantic  as  that  of  the  Roumanian  monster, 
the  winged  zmeou;  again  a  steam-boat,  proudly- 
wearing  the  banner  with  the  silver  cross,  would 
pour  forth  into  the  air  a  black  plume  of  smoke 
and  leave  on  the  waves  a  glittering,  foamy- 
wake. 

1 '  Facing  the  terrace  of  Montreux  can  be  seen 
the  villages  of  the  Catholic  shore,  —  Boveret 
and  Saint-Gingolph,  separated  by  a  big  moun- 
tain, La  Chaumeny,  marked  by  an  immense  ra- 
vine. This  shore  by  its  stern  aspect  makes  a 
strong  contrast  with  the  shore  of  Vaud,  but  this 
very  contrast  adds  to  the  originality  and  the 
grandeur  of  the  landscape.  The  old  fortress 
which  served  as  Bonivard's  prison  emerges  at 
the  left  from  the  bosom  of  the  waters,  which 
form  a  graceful  gulf  around  its  walls.  Oppo- 
site Chillon,  a  bouquet  of  verdure  surrounded 
by  a  solid  wall  forms  in  the  middle  of  the  lake 
that  islet  on  which  that  unknown  captive,  whose 
griefs  Byron  sang,  used  to  feast  his  eyes. 

' '  In  the  midst  of  this  smiling  landscape,  the 
towers  of  Chillon,  I  confess,  saddened  my  imag- 
ination more  than  it  did  Eleonora's.  When,  as 
we  sat  on  the  terrace,  I  told  her  about  the  long 
captivity  of  Bonivard,  who  left  in  the  pave- 


A  Princess  and  the  Spell  of  the  Lake   155 

ment  the  circle  of  his  footprints  as  he  went 
round  and  round  his  pillar  like  a  wild  beast; 
when  I  spoke  with  animation  of  the  instruments 
of  torture  and  the  oubliettes,  which,  in  that 
sinister  fortress,  are  a  witness  to  the  violences 
and  the  iniquities  of  feudal  society,  I  noticed 
without  a  pang  that  she  gave  these  questions 
only  slight  heed.  .  .  . 

"  When  one  wishes  to  go  to  Clarens  without 
straying  far  from  the  lake,  one  passes  at  some 
distance  from  the  principal  village  of  the  parish 
of  Montreux.  We  almost  always  stopped  at 
the  end  of  a  wide  and  picturesque  ravine 
watered  by  a  torrent  called  the  bale  of  Mon- 
treux; here  the  view  is  lovely.  If  one  looks 
toward  the  lake,  Veytaux  is  to  be  seen  at  the 
right,  hidden  like  a  doves'  nest  between  Mont 
Cau  and  Mont  Sonchaud;  beyond  Veytaux, 
Chillon  thrusts  its  massive  walls  into  the 
waters.  At  the  right,  the  quadrangular  manoir 
of  Chatelard,  with  its  thick  walls,  and  narrow 
windows,  stands  in  its  isolation  on  its  hill. 
When  one  turns  toward  the  church  of  Mon- 
treux, one  is  astonished  at  the  small  space  oc- 
cupied by  the  chief  village  of  this  parish, 
formed  by  the  houses  of  Les  Planches  and  Le 
Chatelard  and  known  by  that  name  all  over 
Europe.     Concealed  among  thick  walnut-trees 


156  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

and  Virginian  poplars,  these  houses  are  built 
between  two  rounded  hills,  one  of  which,  called 
Le  Rigi  Vaudois,  lifts  aloft  a  great  chalet  in 
red  wood  Behind  the  habitations  appears  in 
the  distance  a  mountain  with  ragged  summit, 
which  the  winter  makes  white  with  its  snows 
and  the  summer  covers  with  a  pallid  verdure 
diversified  with  fir-trees  here  and  there." 

The  Princess  also  paints  a  pretty  picture  of 
the  lake  in  winter :  — 

"  The  gulls  had  reappeared  along  the  shore. 
The  vines  were  completely  despoiled.  Over  the 
whole  landscape  spread  a  thick  fog,  which 
sometimes  concealed  the  mountains  and  thus 
gave  Lake  Leman  the  appearance  of  a  sea.  By 
the  beginning  of  December  the  sun  was  still 
struggling  with  the  mists ;  often  the  mountains 
seemed  cut  in  two  by  a  luminous  band  which  fell 
thickly  over  the  lake,  and  stretched  toward 
Vevey  in  dark  folds.  Above  the  peaks  of  Sa- 
voy, whose  summits,  now  marked  with  streaks 
of  snow,  glittered  in  the  sun,  still  shone  the 
Italian  sky  like  a  consolation  or  like  a  hope. 

"  The  lake  itself  was  losing  its  lovely  azure 
tints.  I  remember  one  day  when  we  were 
seated  on  the  road  leading  from  Veytaux  to  the 
church,  behind  a  low  hedge  of  Bengal  roses. 
Lake  Leman  was  still  blue  in  patches,  but,  for 


A  Princess  and  the  Spell  of  the  Lake   157 

the  most  part,  somber  clouds  with  silver  fringes 
were  reflected  in  its  melancholy  waters.  The 
gulf  of  Chillon  was  filled  with  a  dark  triangle, 
the  shadow  of  the  neighboring  mountains.  At 
the  right  the  gulf  of  Vernex  was  glittering  in 
the  sunlight,  a  light  the  appearance  of  which  we 
loved  to  salute,  for  its  struggle  with  the  dark- 
ness interested  us  as  much  as  it  would  the  wor- 
shipers of  Ormuzd. 

"  When  the  landscape  seemed  completely 
asleep  in  the  fog,  suddenly  a  ray  of  sunlight 
would  give  it  back  all  its  brilliancy  and  life. 
One  afternoon,  as  I  was  coming  home  with 
Eleonora  from  the  terrace  of  the  church,  the 
sun  appeared  over  the  crest  of  Mont  Sonchaud. 
The  fir-trees  arising  above  the  snow  then  put 
on  their  loveliest  tints.  Whole  masses  of  these 
trees  remained  in  the  shadow ;  a  few  were  of  a 
greenish  yellow;  others  bore  on  their  crests 
what  seemed  like  a  fantastic  aureole. 

"  Arriving  at  Veytaux  by  the  path  which 
crosses  the  vineyards  by  a  murmuring  brook, 
we  found  a  still  more  beautiful  view.  Between 
the  two  mountains  that  shelter  the  village,  there 
rise  at  some  distance  two  peaks  of  unequal 
shape ;  and  these  two  are  the  only  ones  at  this 
season  as  yet  covered  with  snow.  Their  ala- 
baster summits,  standing  out  against  a  faint 


158  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

mist,  shone  as  if  one  of  the  Olympians,  cele- 
brated in  the  song  of  the  divine  Homer,  had 
touched  them  with  his  immortal  foot. 

"  But  at  sunset  especially  did  we  most  enjoy 
the  magnificent  sight  of  the  lake,  which  could 
be  seen  from  my  windows  in  its  whole  length. 
An  orange  light  then  stained  the  west  at  the 
place  where  the  mountains  of  Savoy  dip  down 
into  the  lake.  These  mountains  stood  out 
boldly  against  the  blazing  horizon.  At  the  right 
a  purple  zone  crowned  the  hills  and  grew  fee- 
bler toward  Vevey;  in  the  midst  of  the  lake 
flamed  a  marvellous  fire,  while  the  waters  were 
somber  under  Villeneuve,  of  a  pallid  blue  under 
Veytaux,  and  of  a  pearly  gray  color,  cut  by  red 
bands,  along  the  shores  of  Savoy. 

"  One  evening  this  spectacle,  though  still 
fascinating,  had  something  saddening  about  it. 
The  mountains  of  Savoy  were  enveloped  in  a 
thick  veil,  surmounted  by  a  canopy  of  pale 
azure  illuminated  by  the  dying  sun.  The  veil 
grew  larger  toward  Lausanne  and  formed  a 
sort  of  chain  of  vapors,  heaped  up  and  climbing 
into  space.  A  few  lines  of  the  color  of  blood 
streaked  these  gloomy  masses.  Such  might 
have  been  the  earth  after  the  deluges  of  prim- 
itive times,  when  a  ray  of  light  began  to  smile 
across  the  darkness  on  a  desolate  universe. 


A  Princess  and  the  Spell  of  the  Lake    159 

"  In  the  last  week  of  December  the  snow, 
which  had  grown  deep  on  the  mountains,  kept 
us  from  all  walking.  Nothing  is  so  sad  as  a  lake 
when  it  is  surrounded  by  a  winter  landscape. 
The  dazzling  brilliancy  of  the  snow  spreads 
across  the  water,  which  was  formerly  the  rival 
of  the  sapphire,  a  leaden  hue  more  funereal 
than  that  of  stagnant  pools  of  the  marsh.  Here 
and  there  the  steeper  crags  pierce  through  the 
pall  with  which  they  are  covered  and  stand 
up  like  lugubrious  sentinels.  A  miserly  light 
comes  down  from  the  ashen-hued  sky.  One 
hears  nothing  but  the  hoarse  cries  of  the  gulls 
and  the  reiterated  cawing  of  the  crows  as  they 
fly  in  flocks  along  the  shores  of  the  lake  and 
seem  to  delight  in  this  spectacle  of  death. 

1 '  I  have  lived  too  long  among  the  frozen  fens 
of  Ingria  to  love  these  melancholy  pomps  of 
winter,  though  they  charm  the  imagination  of 
some  persons.  Eleonora,  though  born  on  the 
foggy  banks  of  the  Khine,  was  like  me  in  loving 
the  glory  of  the  Day.  She  would  have  agreed 
with  Goethe,  who,  as  he  lay  dying,  cried : '  More 
light!    More  light!  '  " 


CHAPTER   X 

THE    ALPS   AND   THE    JURA 

|E  spent  so  much  time  at  Chillon  that 
we  decided  to  put  in  for  the  night  at 
Evian;  but  first  we  circled  round 
the  Hot  de  Peilz  (or,  as  some  call  it, 
L'He  de  Paix),  one  of  the  three  artificial  islands 
of  the  lake,  which  has  none  of  its  own.  It  was 
created  about  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury on  the  beine.  It  still  bears  the  three  elms 
which  shade  its  seventy-seven  square  meters  of 
surface.  The  waters  at  one  time  undermined 
it  and  it  had  to  be  repaired. 

Later  we  got  a  good  look  at  the  other  two 
islets.  The  one  called  La  Rocher  aux  Muettes, 
near  Clarens,  was  built  up  on  a  reef  of  rocks 
about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  meters  from 
the  shore  and  was  walled  up  in  1885.  It  covers 
about  sixteen  hundred  square  meters. 

The  third  is  the  He  de  la  Harpe,  in  front  of 
Rolle.  It  was  protected  by  a  wall  in  1838  and 
bears  a  white  marble  monument  in  memory  of 
the  patriotic  General  F.  C.  de  la  Harpe  —  he 

160 


The  Alps  and  the  Jura  161 

who,  by  telling  the  Emperor  of  Russia  that  he 
wished  he  might  use  the  words  "  My  Country, " 
had  his  support  in  the  struggle  with  Bern 
and  was  instrumental  in  winning  the  freedom 
of  Vaud.  This  islet  stands,  or  sits,  on  what  is 
called  a  teneviere  or  group  of  stones  heaped 
up  by  nature  or  by  the  work  of  man,  and  in  pre- 
historic times  served  as  a  palafitte  or  village 
of  lake-dwellers.  This  proves  that  the  level  of 
the  lake  was  about  the  same  two  thousand  years 
ago  as  it  is  now.  The  sluiceway  at  Geneva 
tends  to  make  an  artificial  difference  of  height 
throughout  the  lake  and  there  has  been  for  two 
centuries  a  law-suit  between  Geneva  and  Le 
Pays  de  Vaud  growing  out  of  this  disturbance. 
The  Vaudois  claim  that  raising  the  level  of  the 
water  has  flooded  their  roads  and  fields. 

We  ran  over  to  Villeneuve  and  had  an  ex- 
cellent luncheon  at  the  Hotel  du  Port.  About 
half-way  between  Villeneuve  and  the  pretty 
town  of  Saint-Gingolph,  on  the  Morge,  we 
crossed  the  current  of  the  Rhone,  which,  I  sup- 
pose, owing  to  its  swirling  force  and  the  some- 
times really  dangerous  whirlpools  it  creates, 
particularly  when  there  is  a  strong  wind,  is 
called  "  la  Bataillere,"  and  is  dangerous  for 
small  craft.  When  the  Rhone  is  much  colder 
than  the  lake  it  makes  a  subaqueous  cataract, 


162  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

pouring  down  almost  perpendicularly  to  the 
gloomy  caverns  below. 

For  a  wonder  there  was  very  little  air  stir- 
ring from  the  lake  at  that  time  of  the  day, 
though  there  are  always  winds  enough  for  one 
to  choose  from,  not  counting  the  bise  or  la  bise 
noire,  as  it  is  called  when  it  is  particularly 
cold  and  disagreeable.  Emile  told  us  the  vari- 
ous names  of  them;  the  bornan,  which  blows 
south  from  La  Dranse;  the  joran,  from  the 
northwest;  the  molan,  which  (at  Geneva) 
blows  southeast  from  the  valley  of  the  Arve; 
the  vaudaire,  which  blows  from  the  southeast 
over  the  upper  lake  from  the  Bas  Valais;  the 
sudois,  which,  having  full  sweep  across  the 
widest  part  of  the  lake,  dashes  big  waves 
against  the  shores  of  Ouchy.  Then  there  are 
the  day  breezes,  called  rebat  or  sechard,  and 
the  night  wind,  the  morget,  which  shifts  up  and 
down  the  mountains,  owing  to  changes  in  tem- 
perature. In  summer,  he  said,  there  is  a  warm, 
south  wind,  known  as  the  vent  blanc,  which 
accompanies  a  cloudless  sky.  The  natives  call 
it  maurabia,  which  means  the  wheat-ripener, 
from  maura  or  murit  and  blla,  ble. 

11  There  is  a  charming  excursion,' '  said 
Will,  "  from  Saint-Gingolph.  First  a  walk 
along  the  bank  of  the  Morge  to  Novel,  and  then 


The  Alps  and  the  Jura  163 

up  to  the  top  of  Le  Blanchard.  Or,  from  Novel 
one  can  go  almost  twice  as  high  to  the  Dent 
d'Oche.  Perhaps  a  little  later,  when  the  snow 
is  all  gone,  we  can  arrange  to  make  it,  if  the 
climb  would  not  be  too  much  for  you." 

1  '  Too  much  for  me !  "  I  exclaimed,  ' '  What 
do  you  take  me  for  —  a  valley-lounger?  " 

"  There  is  an  easier  climb, "  continued  Will, 
ignoring  my  indignation,  "  up  to  the  top  of  Le 
Grammont,  which  is  only  about  fifty  meters 
less  in  height.  I  have  been  up  there  several 
times.  At  the  side  of  Le  Grammont  there  are 
two  charming  lakes,  Lovenex  and  —  and —  " 

"  Tanay,"  suggested  Emile. 

"  One  gets  an  excellent  chance,  from  the  top, 
to  compare  the  mountains  of  the  Jura  across 
the  lake  with  the  Alps.  The  Jura  has  been 
compared  to  a  great,  stiff  curtain,  without 
fringes  or  folds;  even  its  colours  are  rather 
monotonous,  its  distant  blue  is  a  bit  gloomy 
and  tragic.  It  is  curious,  but  this  solemnity 
and  monotony  is  said  to  affect  the  inhabitants. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  Alps  sweep  up  with 
green  forests,  and  there  are  coloured  crags, 
and  the  snows  that  crown  them  take  on  wonder- 
ful prismatic  tints  and  sometimes  look  as  if 
they  were  on  fire  —  as  if  copper  were  burning 
with  crimson  and  violet  flames.    The  difference 


164  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

has  been  explained  partly  by  the  way  the  val- 
leys run;  those  of  the  Jura  are  longitudinal 
and  follow  the  axis  of  the  range,  so  that  the 
mountains  are  easy  to  climb,  while  the  Alps 
are  shot  through  with  transverse  valleys. 

"  In  the  Alps  one  finds  even  at  this  day,  cer- 
tainly in  the  remoter  regions,  a  primitive,  natu- 
ral, pastoral  life,  while  the  natives  of  the  Jura 
are  quicker  to  take  up  industries  and  are 
broader-minded.  One  could  hardly  imagine  a 
native  of  an  Alpine  valley  interesting  himself 
in  politics.  The  Alpine  herdsman  looks  down 
on  the  world;  but  the  man  of  the  Jura  might 
even  belong  to  a  labour-union !  It  has  been 
well  said  that  just  as  in  the  Middle  Ages,  the 
common  people  of  the  Jura  were  under  feudal 
lords,  so,  up  to  the  present  time,  the  manufac- 
turers have  controlled  a  large  part  of  their 
time  and  their  work,  even  of  their  lives.  But 
the  natives  of  the  Alps  never  submitted  to  any 
such  tyranny. 

"  I  remember  reading  somewhere  that  the 
Alps  gallop,  as  it  were,  with  their  heads  erect 
far  over  the  earth,  while  the  Jura  Mountains 
march  peacefully  along,  noiselessly  and  un- 
boundingly,  to  follow  their  career  in  a  grace- 
ful and  courteous  fashion,  but  without  any  sub- 
lime eclat.     The  Jura  shows  a  simplicity,  and 


The  Alps  and  the  Jura  165 

spreads  out  distinctly  and,  as  it  were,  pru- 
dently, offering  nothing  unexpected,  exuber- 
ant, mad  or  magnificently  useless,  but,  rather, 
a  well-regulated  behaviour,  a  calm  and  dig- 
nified, but  somewhat  gloomy,  austerity,  a  cold 
and  melancholy  air.  —  Don't  you  think  that  is 
pretty  good?  — 

"  This  same  lover  of  mountains  finds  even 
the  snow  different.  On  the  Jura  it  falls  on 
dark-green  firs  and  pines  and,  mingling  with 
the  dreary  foliage,  gives  forth  only  a  sad  and 
cautious  half-smile.  But  in  the  Alps  the  white 
snow  makes  the  mountains  joyous.  He  com- 
pares it  to  a  virginal  mantle,  embroidered  with 
greea  and  azure.  When  the  morning  has,  for 
them,  brought  on  the  early  day,  they  seem  to 
sing  gaily  their  reveille  and  their  youth;  a 
hymn  of  light  floats  high  in  the  air  above  their 
heads  and  finds  an  echo  of  joy  and  of  love  in 
the  hearts  of  mortals.  In  the  evening  they 
smoke  like  incense  and,  bending  under  the  cir- 
cling sky,  they  then  offer  a  strangely  fasci- 
nating image  of  prayer  and  of  melancholy. 
From  afar  the  Jura  listens,  and,  like  a  dreamer, 
pursuing  his  way,  plunges  into  the  darkness." 

I  may  as  well  say,  here  and  now,  that  a  month 
later  we  carried  out  the  plan  of  climbing  Le 


166  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

Grammont,  (which,  of  course,  means  the  Great 
Mountain).  We  went  to  Vouvry  and  first  ad- 
mired the  exquisite  view  where  the  pretty 
church,  as  it  were,  guides  the  eye  up  to  the 
mountains,  and  contemplated  the  canal  which 
the  descendants  of  that  fine  old  "  robber- 
baron,"  Kaspar  Stockalper,  who  claimed  the 
right  to  dominate  the  trade  over  the  Simplon 
and  guarded  it  by  a  body  of  seventy  men,  built 
to  connect  with  the  Rhone,  though  it  remains 
unfinished.  Then  we  easily  followed  the  trail 
to  the  mountain-top.  We  chose  a  day  which 
promised  to  be  remarkably  clear,  and  it  ful- 
filled its  promise.  Words  fail,  and  must  al- 
ways fail,  to  describe  that  panorama  of  splen- 
dour which  includes  the  aerial  heights  of 
Mont  Blanc  and  the  Jungfrau  to  the  south, 
the  whole  extent  of  the  lake  and  the  tamer 
peaks  of  the  Jura  to  the  north,  and  a  rolling 
sea  of  petrified  and  frozen  billows  in  every 
direction. 

When  one  speaks  of  Switzerland  one  in- 
stinctively thinks  of  Mont  Blanc,  and  it  seems 
an  unfair  advantage  which  France  has  taken  to 
keep  possession  of  Savoy,  which  used  to  belong 
to  Switzerland,  and  the  crown  of  the  Swiss 
Alps.  History  has  made  strange  partitions  of 
territories;   but  the  more  one  sees  of  Switzer- 


The  Alps  and  the  Jura  167 

land  the  more  one  wonders  that  it  could  have 
ever  become  a  united  country,  composed  as  it 
is  of  isolated  valleys,  separated  by  lofty  moun- 
tain-walls, intercommunicable  only  by  treach- 
erous passes.  That  same  dividing  construction 
of  the  country  was  the  ruin  of  Greece,  where 
each  little  province  or  city,  set  by  itself  and 
developing  various  qualities  of  character,  was 
opposed  in  ideals  and  ambitions  to  every 
other. 

It  is  curious,  too,  that  the  general  notion  that 
the  Swiss  are  peculiarly  liberty-loving  should 
be  based  on  a  legend.  Probably  no  other  coun- 
try in  the  world  ever  furnished  so  many  mer- 
cenaries. But  it  is  now  one  united  country  and 
largely  freed  from  the  crushing  burden  of  ram- 
pant militarism. 

It  was  a  fine  view  also  we  had  from  the  top 
of  Le  Grammont,  overlooking  the  delta  of  the 
Ehone,  which,  from  the  height  of  nearly  twenty- 
two  hundred  meters,  lay  below  us.  We  could 
see  how  it  was  building  the  level  marsh  land 
into  the  lake.  Perhaps  some  day  the  debris 
from  the  mountains  will  quite  fill  up  the  gulf. 
It  is  amazing  how  much  material  is  brought 
down  in  the  course  of  a  single  year,  even  by  a 
single  freshet.  We  could  see,  also,  the  confi- 
ning walls  of  the  dykes  which,  together  with 


1G8  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

breakwaters,  form  what  is  called  la  correction 
du  Rhone,  preventing  any  riotous  behaviour  of 
that  torrent  when  the  floods  sweep  over  the 
plain.  The  disreputable  exploits  of  the  river, 
before  it  was  thus  tamed  and  disciplined,  ex- 
plain why  the  region  back  of  Villeneuve,  re- 
garded as  desolate  and  uncultivated,  is  or  has 
been  compared  to  the  vineyard-laden  and  fer- 
tile slopes  of  the  Jorat. 

But  we  are  really  not  mountain-climbing; 
we  are  circling  the  lake  and,  except  where  some 
river  or  torrent  forms  what  is  technically  called 
a  cone,  projecting  out  into  the  water,  we  are 
able  to  skirt  close  to  the  beine,  often  under 
tremendous,  beetling  cliffs.  They  become 
higher  and  higher,  more  and  more  romantic 
and  magnificent.  Only  occasionally  is  there 
room  for  a  village  to  cuddle  in  between  the  lake 
and  the  mountains,  as,  for  instance,  Meillerie, 
back  of  which  one  can  see  the  great  quarries 
gashing  the  mountain,  and  the  tunnel  through 
which  the  railway  runs. 

Samuel  Rogers,  in  1822,  winging  south  on  his 
Italian  journey,  so  beautifully  illustrated  by 
Turner,  was  moved  by  the  beauty  of  Meillerie 
to  break  out  into  song :  — 


The  Alps  and  the  Jura  169 

"  These  gray  majestic  cliffs  that  tower  to  heaven, 
These  glimmering  glades  and  open  chestnut  groves, 
That  echo  to  the  heifer's  wandering  bell, 
Or  woodman's  ax,  or  steersman's  song  beneath, 
As  on  he  urges  his  fir-laden  bark, 
Or  shout  of  goat-herd  boy  above  them  all, 
Who  loves  not?    And  who  blesses  not  the  light, 
When  through  some  loop-hole  he  surveys  the  lake 
Blue  as  a  sapphire-stone,  and  richly  set 
With  chateaux,  villages  and  village-spires, 
Orchards  and  vineyards,  alps  and  alpine  snows? 
Here  would  I  dwell;  nor  visit,  but  in  thought, 
Ferney  far  South,  silent  and  empty  now, 
As  now  thy  once-luxurious  bowers,  Ripaille; 
Vevey,  so  long  an  exiled  Patriot's  home; 
Or  Chillon's  dungeon-floors  beneath  the  wave, 
Channeled  and  worn  by  pacing  to  and  fro; 
Lausanne,  where  Gibbon  in  his  sheltered  walk 
Nightly  called  up  the  Shade  of  ancient  Rome; 
Or  Coppet  and  that  dark  untrodden  grove 
Sacred  to  Virtue  and  a  daughter's  tears! 

"  Here  would  I  dwell,  forgetting  and  forgot, 
And  oft  methinks  (of  such  strange  potency 
The  spells  that  Genius  scatters  where  he  will) 
Oft  should  I  wander  forth  like  one  in  search, 
And  say,  half-dreaming:  —  '  Here  St.  Preux  has  stood.' 
Then  turn  and  gaze  on  Clarens." 

The  picture  now  is  not  so  different  from  what 
it  was  almost  a  hundred  years  ago. 


170  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

"  Day  glimmered  and  I  went,  a  gentle  breeze 
Ruffling  the  Leman  Lake.    Wave  after  wave, 
If  such  they  might  be  called,  dashed  as  in  sport 
Not  anger,  with  the  pebbles  on  the  beach 
Making  wild  music,  and  far  westward  caught 
The  sun-beam  —  where  alone  and  as  entranced, 
Counting  the  hours,  the  fisher  in  his  skiff 
Lay  with  his  circular  and  dotted  line 
On  the  bright  waters.    When  the  heart  of  man 
Is  light  with  hope,  all  things  are  sure  to  please; 
And  soon  a  passage-boat  swept  gayly  by, 
Laden  with  peasant-girls  and  fruits  and  flowers 
And  many  a  chanticleer  and  partlet  caged 
For  Vevey's  market-place  —  a  motley  group 
Seen  through  the  silvery  haze.    But  soon  'twas  gone. 
The  shifting  sail  flapped  idly  to  and  fro,  j 
Then  bore  them  off. 

"lam  not  one  of  those 
So  dead  to  all  things  in  this  visible  world, 
So  wondrously  profound,  as  to  move  on 
In  the  sweet  light  of  heaven,  like  him  of  old 
(His  name  is  justly  in  the  Calendar) 
Who  through  the  day  pursued  this  pleasant  path 
That  winds  beside  the  mirror  of  all  beauty, 
And  when  at  eve  his  fellow  pilgrims  sate 
Discoursing  of  the  Lake,  asked  where  it  was. 
They  marveled  as  they  might;  and  so  must  all, 
Seeing  what  now  I  saw:  for  now  'twas  day 
And  the  bright  Sun  was  in  the  firmament, 
A  thousand  shadows  of  a  thousand  hues 
Chequering  the  clear  expanse.    Awhile  his  orb 


The  Alps  and  the  Jura  171 

Hung  o'er  thy  trackless  fields  of  snow,  Mont  Blanc, 
Thy  seas  of  ice  and  ice-built  promontories, 
That  change  their  shapes  for  ever  as  in  sport; 
Then  traveled  onward  and  went  down  behind 
The  pine-clad  heights  of  Jura,  lighting  up 
The  woodman's  casement,  and  perchance  his  ax 
Borne  homeward  through  the  forest  in  his  hand; 
And,  on  the  edge  of  some  o'erhanging  cliff, 
That  dungeon-fortress  never  to  be  named, 
Where  like  a  lion  taken  in  the  toils, 
Toussaint  breathed  out  his  brave  and  generous  spirit. 
Little  did  he  who  sent  him  there  to  die, 
Think,  when  he  gave  the  word,  that  he  himself, 
Great  as  he  was,  the  greatest  among  men, 
Should  in  like  manner  be  so  soon  conveyed 
Athwart  the  deep." 

A  half  dozen  kilometers  farther  down  the 
shore  is  the  famous  castle  of  Blonay.  The  days 
of  feudalism  were  certainly  tragic  not  only  for 
the  baronial  masters  who  were  subject  to  feuds 
and  duels,  but  also  to  the  common  people. 
Lords  and  villeins,  however,  die  and  forget 
their  woes,  and  the  turreted  castles  which  they 
built  and  had  built  are  a  splendid  heritage  for 
those  who  live  under  different  conditions.  The 
gorgeous  tapestries  which  they  hung  on  their 
walls  become  food  for  generations  of  moths 
or,  if  they  escape,  and  still  preserve  their  bril- 
liant colours  and  their  quaint  and  curious  de- 


172  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

signs,  display  them  to  thousands  of  visitors  at 
the  museums  where  at  last  they  are  pretty  sure 
to  gravitate.  The  solid  gold  plate  is  perhaps 
melted  into  coin  to  pay  the  price  of  liberty. 
And  so  the  cost  of  a  picturesque  chateau, 
erected  high  on  an  almost  inaccessible  crag, 
and  lifting  its  frowning  battlements  against  a 
background  of  snowy  mountains,  even  though 
it  be  reckoned  in  human  lives,  may  be  small 
compared  to  the  value  which  it  has  in  after 
ages,  especially  if  it  comes  into  the  possession 
of  the  people  themselves,  to  be  for  ever  prized 
as  a  memorial  of  a  stormy  past. 


The  Living-Room  of  an  Alpine  Castle 


CHAPTER   XI 


THE    SOUTHERN    SHORE 


Y  a  strange  coincidence  I  found  in  the 
room  where  I  slept  that  night  a  tat- 
tered copy  of  "  Anne  of  Geierstein," 
and  almost  the  first  thing  I  turned 
to  the  description  of  an  Alpine  castle.  Now, 
Sir  Walter  Scott  had  never  been  in  the  Alps, 
but  his  picture  of  the  ruin  of  Geierstein  is 
quite  typical  and  worth  rereading :  — 

"  The  ancient  tower  of  Geierstein,  though 
neither  extensive  nor  distinguished  by  archi- 
tectural ornament,  possessed  an  air  of  terrible 
dignity  by  its  position  on  the  very  verge  of  the 
opposite  bank  of  the  torrent,  which,  just  at  the 
angle  of  the  rock  on  which  the  ruins  are  situ- 
ated, falls  sheer  over  a  cascade  of  nearly  a 
hundred  feet  in  height,  and  then  rushes  down 
the  defile,  through  a  channel  of  living  rock, 
which  perhaps  its  waves  have  been  deepening 
since  time  itself  had  a  commencement.  Facing 
and  at  the  same  time  looking  down  upon  this 
eternal  roar  of  waters,   stood  the  old  tower, 

173 


174  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

built  so  close  to  the  verge  of  the  precipice  that 
the  buttresses  with  which  the  architect  had 
strengthened  the  foundation  seemed  a  part  of 
the  solid  rock  itself,  and  a  continuation  of  its 
perpendicular  ascent.  As  usual  throughout 
Europe  in  the  feudal  times  the  principal  part 
of  the  building  was  a  massive  square  pile,  the 
decayed  summit  of  which  was  rendered  pic- 
turesque by  flanking  turrets  of  different  sizes 
and  heights,  some  round,  some  angular,  some 
ruinous,  some  tolerably  entire,  varying  the  out- 
line of  the  building  as  seen  against  the  stormy 
sky. 

"  A  projecting  sallyport,  descending  by  a 
flight  of  steps  from  the  tower,  had  in  former 
times  given  access  to  a  bridge  connecting  the 
castle  with  that  side  of  the  stream  on  which 
Arthur  Philipson  and  his  fair  guide  now  stood. 
A  single  arch  or  rather  one  rib  of  an  arch,  con- 
sisting of  single  stones,  still  remained  and 
spanned  the  river  immediately  in  front  of  the 
waterfall.  In  former  times  this  arch  had 
served  for  the  support  of  a  wooden  drawbridge, 
of  more  convenient  breadth  and  of  such  length 
and  weight  as  must  have  been  rather  unman- 
ageable, had  it  not  been  lowered  on  some  solid 
resting-place.  It  is  true,  the  device  was  at- 
tended with  this  inconvenience  that  even  when 


The  Southern  Shore  175 

the  drawbridge  was  up,  there  remained  the 
possibility  of  approaching  the  castle-gate  by- 
means  of  this  narrow  rib  of  stone.  But  as  it 
was  not  above  eighteen  inches  broad  and  could 
only  admit  the  daring  foe  who  should  traverse 
it  to  a  doorway  regularly  defended  by  gate  and 
portcullis  and  having  flanking  turrets  and  pro- 
jections from  which  stones,  darts,  melted  lead 
and  scalding  water  might  be  poured  down  on 
the  soldiery  who  should  venture  to  approach 
Geierstein  by  this  precarious  access,  the  possi- 
bility of  such  an  attempt  was  not  considered  as 
diminishing  the  security  of  the  garrison. 

11  The  gateway  admitted  them  into  a  mass  of 
ruins,  formerly  a  sort  of  courtyard  to  the  don- 
jon, which  rose  in  gloomy  dignity  above  the 
wreck  of  what  had  been  destined  for  external 
defence  or  buildings  for  internal  accommoda- 
tion. They  quickly  passed  through  these  ruins, 
over  which  vegetation  had  thrown  a  wild  man- 
tle of  ivy  and  other  creeping  shrubs  and  issued 
from  them  through  the  main  gate  of  the  castle 
into  one  of  those  spots  in  which  nature  often 
embosoms  her  sweetest  charms,  in  the  midst  of 
districts  chiefly  characterized  by  waste  and 
desolation. 

"  The  castle  in  this  respect  also  rose  con- 
siderably above  the  neighboring  ground,  but 


176  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

the  elevation  of  the  site,  which  towards  the  tor- 
rent was  an  abrupt  rock,  was  on  this  side  a 
steep  eminence  which  had  been  scarped  like  a 
modern  glacis  to  render  the  building  more  se- 
cure. It  was  now  covered  with  young  trees 
and  bushes,  out  of  which  the  tower  itself 
seemed  to  rise  in  ruined  dignity." 

Then  he  goes  on  to  describe  the  ample 
grounds  which  "  seemed  scooped  out  of  the 
rocks  and  mountains." 

Scott's  imagination  was  probably  aided  by 
various  pictures ;  but  it  is  remarkably  correct. 
It  is  amazing  to  think  how  many  such  castles, 
almost  always  situated  on  inaccessible  peaks  or 
islands,  must  have  been  built  since  the  world 
began,  when  mighty  stones  had  to  be  brought 
and  fitted  and  lifted  and  there  was  no  help  from 
steam  or  electricity.  The  colossal  fortifications 
of  prehistoric  Greece,  the  edifices  of  the  stone 
age,  the  dizzy  escarpments  raised  by  the  Incas 
in  their  mountain  fastnesses,  and  all  the  mar- 
vels of  barbaric  architecture  in  the  depths  of 
the  Caucasus,  to  say  nothing  of  the  hundreds 
of  castles  vanished  or  still  left  more  or  less 
ruined  throughout  Europe,  are  a  proof  of  the 
industry  and  the  faithfulness  of  millions  of 
human  beings  whose  names,  if  they  had  any 
designation,  are  gone  for  ever. 


The  Southern  Shore  177 

There  was  not  any  special  reason  for  spend- 
ing the  night  at  Evian:  we  might  almost  as 
well  have  run  straight  across  to  Lausanne  and 
slept  in  our  own  beds;  but  we  were  out  for  a 
special  purpose  —  to  circle  the  lake  —  and  it 
seemed  rather  good  fun  to  have  a  glimpse  of 
the  French  life  which  gathers  in  this  typical 
Savoyard  village,  turned  into  a  resort  of 
fashion.  We  got  a  berth  for  our  swift  Hiron- 
delle  near  the  Quai  Baron  Blonay  and  left 
Emile  to  make  himself  comfortable  in  it,  and 
we  ourselves,  having  satisfied  the  customs 
authorities  that  we  were  not  smugglers  even 
of  Vevey  cigars,  took  lodgings  at  the  Hotel 
Royal  above  the  lake.  Then  we  sallied  out  to 
see  the  town,  not  failing  to  ride  over  to  the 
curious  spring  of  Amphion  where  we  admired 
the  fine  old  chestnut-trees.  In  the  evening  we 
attended  the  Casino  Theatre  where  a  fairly 
good  company  was  playing  "  Les  Affaires  sont 
les  Affaires." 

The  next  morning  we  intended  to  start  early 
but  had  to  wait  until  the  fog  cleared  away. 
Anything  more  beautiful  than  its  final  disap- 
pearance could  hardly  be  imagined.  When  I 
first  arose  and  looked  out  of  my  window,  I 
seemed  to  be  gazing  across  a  tumbling  sea 
which  must  just  about  have  reached  the  old 


178  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

level  of  the  lake  when  it  emptied  out  into  the 
Aar  and  the  Rhine,  and  therefore  was  a  con- 
tributary  to  the  German  Ocean  and  not  to  the 
Mediterranean. 

Some  of  the  Swiss  rivers  seem  to  be  like  the 
Swiss  themselves  and  divide  their  allegiance. 
Thus  the  Venoge,  which  rises  between  Rolle  and 
Mont  Tendre,  at  first  determined  apparently  to 
give  itself  up  to  the  Lake  of  Neuchatel ;  but  it 
pauses  at  La  Sarraz  and  quarrels  with  itself; 
some  of  the  stream  is  faithful  to  its  old  pur- 
pose and  joins  the  Mozon,  which  falls  into  the 
Lake  of  Neuchatel  at  Yverdon ;  while  the  main 
river  turns  to  the  south  and  falls  into  the  Lake 
of  Geneva  east  of  Morges. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  glories  of  the 
Jura  began  to  appear  above  the  mist.  Stretch- 
ing along  in  a  wall-like  perspective,  with  their 
summits  glittering  white  in  the  morning  sun, 
it  was  a  sight  never  to  be  forgotten.  I  dressed 
and  went  down  to  the  veranda  and  there  fell 
into  conversation  with  a  most  courteous  Eng- 
lish lady  who  knew  the  lay  of  the  land.  She 
pointed  out  to  me  Le  Cret  de  la  Niege,  Mont 
Tendre,  Dole  and  other  elevations.  I  found 
that  we  had  mutual  friends  and  we  were  soon 
on  a  footing  of  very  charming  acquaintance. 
This  is  worth  mentioning  because  the  English 


The  Southern  Shore  179 

perhaps  cherish  the  reputation  of  pursuing 
their  selfish  way  aloof  from  other  human  be- 
ings unfortunate  enough  not  to  have  first  seen 
the  light  of  day  on  their  tight  little  Island. 

There  is  a  beautiful  chance  here  to  introduce 
the  golden  thread  of  romance  and  let  it  begin 
to  weave  a  glowing  design.  My  niece,  whom  I 
have  not  mentioned  for  a  long  time,  when  I 
told  her  of  my  chance  rencontre,  immediately 
jumped  at  the  conclusion  that  the  spider  had 
caught  the  fly,  that  my  heart  was  already  in  a 
net.  She  actually  began  to  lay  her  plans  for 
inviting  Lady  Q.  to  come  and  make  her  a  visit. 
I  assured  her  that  there  was  not  the  slightest 
danger.  I  potentially  prevaricated  and  boldly 
declared  that  Lady  Q.  was  neither  a  maid  nor 
a  widow. 

"  And  why,"  said  I,  "  are  you  so  anxious  to 
marry  me  off?  You  must  be  getting  tired  of 
me." 

That  suggestion  brought  on  a  pretty  little 
quarrel,  especially  when  I  added  that  I  should 
be  perfectly  content  to  stay  right  where  I  was, 
even  if  I  never  saw  my  trunk  again.  At  any 
rate,  I  got  in  the  last  word,  which  was  a  tri- 
umph, though  at  the  expense  of  my  reputation 
for  delicacy  of  feeling.  For  my  niece  pre- 
tended to  be  shocked  too  much  to  let  fly  a  Par- 


180  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

thian  arrow.  I  declared  —  and  I  am  sure  I 
looked  as  if  I  meant  it  —  that  Lady  Q.  was  too 
old  for  me  anyway. 

I  afterwards  showed  my  niece  the  copy  of 
"  Anne  of  Geierstein  "  and  she  outdid  my 
memory  by  calling  my  attention  to  Scott's 
description  of  Mount  Pilatus.  I  had  forgotten 
all  about  it,  but  wishing  still  to  be  disagreeable 
—  for  I  could  not  possibly  forget  her  unworthy 
attempt  to  marry  me  forthwith  to  a  lady  whom 
I  had  never  seen  but  once  in  my  life  —  I  said : 
"  We  will  keep  it  till  we  get  there." 

"  You  may  not  get  there,"  she  retorted. 

I  tore  out  the  pages  and  put  them  into  my 
pocket.  Maybe  I  shall  produce  them  when  I 
arrive  at  Lucerne. 

We  had  an  excellent  cup  of  coffee  and  by  ten 
o'clock  we  were  doubling  the  "  cone  "  of  the 
Dranse.  This  promontory  offers  one  of  the 
best  illustrations  of  the  generosity  of  a  river 
in  forming  village  sites.  It  is  the  generosity  of 
a  fluvial  Robin  Hood,  who  steals  from  the 
wealthy  to  confer  benefactions  on  the  poor. 
There  is  a  closer  likeness  here  than  one  sees  at 
first.  The  Robin  Hood  type  of  robber,  erratic, 
generous,  picturesque,  romantic,  sympathetic, 
humourous,  belongs  to  a  medieval  epoch;  he 
would    be    unthinkable   when    civilization    has 


The  Southern  Shore  181 

levelled  all  differences.  So  the  wild,  fierce, 
brawling,  unscrupulous  river,  taking  from  one 
region  and  handing  its  loot  to  another  or  throw- 
ing it  away,  is  uncivilized  compared  to  the 
river  that  has  reached  its  plain,  and  has  be- 
come slow  and  dignified. 

We  went  near  enough  to  the  shore  to  see  the 
castle  of  Ripaille,  where  Duke  Victor  Amedee 
of  Savoy  had  his  hermitage.  No  wonder  he 
did  not  want  to  leave  it  for  the  burdens  of  a 
contested  papal  tiara.  I  would  not  object  to 
settle  down  in  such  a  retreat  —  provided  I  had 
a  few  friends  to  share  it.  In  his  day  probably 
the  Jura  was  much  more  beautiful,  because 
their  slopes  were  clad  in  splendid  forests.  It 
is  a  nature-tragedy  that  when  mountains  are 
once  deforested  either  by  the  axe  of  man  or  by 
fire,  the  flesh  of  the  range  melts  away  and  can 
never  form  again;  only  the  uncompromising 
rock  is  left  like  mighty  bones. 

The  lake  must  have  been  even  more  beautiful 
when  the  great  forests  of  chestnuts  and  birches 
and  beeches  still  existed,  before  there  had  come 
the  endless  monotonies  of  terraced  vineyards; 
before  the  valleys  with  their  native  chalets  were 
sophisticated  into  summer  resorts  with  smug 
villas  and  huge  hotels  filled  with  staring 
strangers. 


182  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

I  liked  the  look  of  the  old  town  of  Thonon, 
and  the  name  of  the  department  in  which  it  is 
situated  and  of  which  it  used  to  be  the  capital 
suggested  the  delicate  wines.  One  complains 
of  monotonous  vine-terraces,  and  they  cer- 
tainly are  not  effective  when  seen  at  a  distance, 
but  at  close  range,  especially  when  the  trellises 
are  loaded  with  ripe  grapes,  they  have  a  double 
charm.  The  grape  cure  attracts  thousands  of 
people  to  all  the  shores  of  the  lake  and  to 
dozens  of  charming  little  towns  of  which  one 
only  hears  by  accident. 

If  I  were  certain  of  several  incarnations  I 
should  like  to  spend  one  whole  life  on  the 
borders  of  Lake  Leman.  Perhaps  in  the  next 
reincarnation  one  may  be  able  to  be  in  two 
places  at  once.  We  have  two  eyes  that  blend 
impressions  into  one  resultant.  Why  not  be  in 
two  places  at  once,  and  after  that  in  four,  in 
sixteen,  and  so  on,  till  one  would  be  cotermi- 
nous with  the  universe  and  know  everything :  if 
we  have  two  eyes,  some  other  insects  have  a 
thousand.  The  gracious  lady,  Madame  Severy, 
whose' letters,  written  a  century  and  more  ago, 
filled  me  with  the  rather  melancholy  yearning 
—  for  it  can  never  be  fulfilled  —  for  that  de- 
lightful life  which  she  led:  a  winter  in  Lau- 
sanne or  Geneva;    the  spring  in  one  of  her 


The  Southern  Shore  183 

country  chateaux;  the  summer  in  another,  the 
autumn  in  still  another.  The  houses,  full  of 
luxurious  furniture,  always  ready  for  occu- 
pancy; friends  happening  around  to  spend  a 
week  or  a  month  or  only  a  night.  But  when 
one  family  had  so  much  thousands  had  not 
much  of  anything,  though  probably  the  peas- 
ants then  were  as  happy  as  the  working-people 
now  who  have  tasted  of  the  intoxicating  ' '  Fra- 
ternite  "  cup,  perhaps  poisonous  when  the 
third  ingredient  is  left  out  —  the  cup,  invented 
by  Rousseau,  and  drunk  to  the  full  in  the 
French  Revolution. 

Thonon  looked  exceedingly  tempting  as  it 
rose  above  the  lake.  My  nephew  declared  that 
it  was  built  even  more  Chablais  than  it  looked 
—  a  pun  which  would  have  resulted  in  a  scene 
of  decapitation  had  we  been  under  Alice's 
Duchess.  He  atoned  for  it  however  by  prom- 
ising to  take  me  on  an  excursion  up  the  valley 
of  the  Dranse,  which  is  one  of  the  most  fas- 
cinating rivers  in  Savoy. 

As  usual  he  fulfilled  his  promise.  We 
equipped  ourselves  for  walking,  and,  taking  it 
leisurely,  climbed  along  the  river  to  the  little 
hamlet  of  Saint  Jean  d'Aulph,  where  we  ad- 
mired the  taste  of  the  eleventh-century  Cis- 
tercians who  built  their  monastery  in  such  a 


184  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

nook  of  the  mountains.  We  finally  arrived  at 
Champery,  and,  of  course,  admired  the  primi- 
tive calvaire  and  the  stunning  view.  There,  I 
remember,  my  worthy  Will  quoted  that  charm- 
ing passage  from  Henri-Frederic  Amiel,  which 
indeed  might  be  applied  to  dozens  of  other 
horizon-aspects.  He  says  —  but  it  is  much 
more  effective  in  French :  — 

"  The  profile  of  the  horizon  takes  on  all 
forms:  needles,  pinnacles,  battlements,  pyra- 
mids, obelisks,  teeth,  hooks,  claws,  horns, 
cupolas;  the  denticulation  is  bent,  is  turned 
back  on  itself,  is  twisted,  is  accentuated  in  a 
thousand  ways,  but  in  the  angular  style  of 
sierras.  Only  the  lower  and  secondary  ranges 
present  rounded  tops,  fleeting  and  curving 
lines.  The  Alps  are  more  than  an  upheaval, 
they  are  a  tearing  asunder  of  the  surface  of 
the  earth." 

These  calvaires,  or  rustic  shrines,  frequently 
met  with  in  the  Catholic  cantons,  are  pic- 
turesque in  their  setting  and  though  not  in 
themselves  beautiful,  add  much  to  the  charm 
of  a  prospect,  giving  the  human  element,  at  its 
most  humble  expression,  that  of  devotion,  in 
contradistinction  to  the  awful  and  inhuman 
wildness  of  Nature  in  her  most  tremendous 
and  imposing  aspect.     Even  common  names 


The  Southern  Shore  185 

here  take  a  religious  colour,  as  for  instance 
the  Cret  d'eau,  which  becomes  the  Credo. 

Those  that  climb  the  Haute  Cime  of  the 
Dent  du  Midi  find  Champery  a  convenient 
starting-point.  I,  who  had  once  in  one  day 
climbed  over  all  the  peaks  of  the  Presidential 
Range,  felt  an  ambitious  stirring  to  repeat  the 
feat  on  a  higher  and  grander  scale  —  taking 
all  the  six  peaks  in  succession  —  La  Dent 
Noire,  La  Forteresse,  La  Cathedrale,  La 
Dent  Jaune,  and  Le  Doigt  up  to  the  Haute 
Cime. 

Such  an  exploit  would  be  too  fatiguing  for 
one  of  my  venerable  years,  but  I  have  seen 
photographs  of  the  view  from  the  top  of  the 
Dent  du  Midi,  and  when  one  has  been  on  one 
mountain,  even  though  it  be  not  quite  thirty- 
three  hundred  meters  high,  the  views  are  only 
variants,  even  when  one  has  Mont  Blanc  piled 
up  across  a  marvellous  valley  filled  with  gla- 
ciers and  azure  lakes. 

It  is  wonderful  how  quickly  in  her  slow  way 
this  same  cruel  Mother  Nature  repairs  the 
damage  she  does  —  damage  as  seen  by  human 
eyes.  Down  the  side  of  the  Dent  du  Midi  in 
1835  swept  a  rock-fall.  Two  years  later,  on 
the  road  between  Geneva  and  Chamonix,  a 
pretty  little  lake   which   was   the   delight   of 


186  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

travellers  was  filled  by  a  similar  avalanche  of 
rocks. 

Etienne  Javelle  gives  a  vivid  description  of 
some  of  these  catastrophes :  — 

"  If  one  would  take  a  keen  pleasure  in  climb- 
ing the  Col  de  Jorat,"  he  says,  "  one  must  be 
interested  in  something  more  than  simple  pic- 
turesque effects;  especially  must  the  climber, 
facing  the  contorted  and  tottering  condition  of 
these  immense  rocks,  seek  to  realize  the  cata- 
clysms of  which  these  places  have  been  the 
scene  and  those  that  still  threaten  them. 
When  this  sympathetic  attitude  has  been 
attained,  nothing  can  be  more  impressive 
than  the  glen  and  torrent  of  Saint-Barthel- 
emy. 

"  These  mountains  could  add  many  pages 
to  the  chapter  of  Alpine  catastrophes;  they 
have  more  than  once  terribly  alarmed  the  in- 
habitants, and  each  generation  can  relate  to  the 
succeeding  one  the  convulsions  which  it  has 
witnessed. 

"  But  the  events  that  happened  when  life 
had  not  as  yet  appeared  in  the  primeval  chaos 
of  these  mountains  cannot  be  retold  by  pos- 
terity. Who  knows  by  what  terrific  throes  the 
breach,  to-day  so  vast  and  complete,  was  opened 
at  the  place  where  the  Rhone  flows  and  where 


The  Southern  Shore  187 

now  stand  the  houses  and  meadows  of  Evion- 
naz? 

"  Unquestionably  it  was  narrow  at  first  and 
the  furious  waters  gradually  forced  a  passage 
for  themselves  by  unceasing  assaults;  un- 
questionably also  during  the  glacial  epoch,  the 
tremendous  glacier  of  the  Bhone,  compelled  to 
be  shut  in  within  this  gorge,  exerted  an  enor- 
mous pressure  on  the  sides  of  its  channel. 
From  La  Dent  de  Morcles  to  La  Dent  du  Midi 
what  peaks  have  one  after  the  other  been  worn 
down  and  disappeared !  The  great  glaciers 
have  carried  far  away  all  this  early  detritus, 
an  enormous  bulk  the  secret  of  which  the 
waters  of  Lake  Leman  possibly  know  more 
than  we  do. 

"  What  has  taken  place  since  then,  from  the 
time  when  men  first  appeared  in  these  localities 
cannot  compare  with  those  primal  convulsions ; 
still  there  is  enough  to  overwhelm  the  imagina- 
tion of  man;  it  is  too  much  for  their  feeble 
dwellings  to  endure.  Terrible  events  of  days 
long  gone  by  are  recorded  in  the  local  annals. 
The  catastrophe  which  swallowed  up  the  little 
town  of  Epaune  when  Mont  Taurus  fell  on  it. 
One  of  the  most  ancient  of  these  falls  was  the 
catastrophe  in  which  the  hot  spring  was  lost, 
though  it  has  since  been  rediscovered  at  Lavey, 


188  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

"  On  October  9,  1635,  in  the  middle  of  the 
night,  a  strange  and  terrific  noise  alarmed  the 
inhabitants  of  Evionnaz  and  the  neighboring 
hamlets;  suddenly  awakened  from  sleep  they 
sprang  out  of  their  beds  in  alarm.  A  rumbling 
noise,  growing  ever  louder,  was  heard.  The 
Noviorroz,  a  mountain  near  by,  fell  into  the 
valley  with  a  monstrous  crash.  The  cure  of 
Saint-Maurice  was  hastily  informed  of  the 
catastrophe  and  he  had  the  tocsin  rung.  As 
soon  as  daylight  came  a  band  of  rescuers  went 
to  the  scene  of  the  disaster  but  hardly  had  it 
got  there,  when  an  even  more  tremendous 
downfall  compelled  a  retreat  to  a  neighboring 
height. 

"  The  noise  of  it  resounded  throughout  the 
valley.  For  more  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
the  sun  was  hidden  by  a  cloud  of  dust  from  the 
Bois  Noir  down  to  the  lake.  The  current  of  the 
Ehone  was  blocked;  the  torrent  of  the  Marre 
—  now  Saint-Barthelemy  —  formed  at  the  foot 
of  the  Jorat  a  lake  the  overflow  of  which  was  a 
new  danger  to  the  valley. 

"  As  popular  superstition  attributed  this 
catastrophe  to  demons  which  haunted  the  moun- 
tain, the  Bishop  of  Sion,  Hildebrandt  Jost, 
spent  nine  days  in  exorcising  the  place.  His 
trouble  was  wasted;  the  waters  went  on  with 


The  Southern  Shore  189 

their  work  and  at  intervals  of  every  few  years 
the  same  threats  were  repeated  with  minor 
falls  and  great  deposits  of  mud. 

"  At  last,  on  August  26,  1835,  about  eleven 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  there  was  a  sudden 
noise,  like  that  of  many  discharges  of  artillery 
uninterruptedly  following  one  another.  All 
eyes  were  turned  to  the  mountain.  The  east- 
ern peak  was  surrounded  by  mist.  Thence 
came  the  fall.  A  thick  fog  filled  the  glen  of 
Saint-Barthelemy ;  violent  gusts  of  wind 
shook  the  houses  of  Mex  and  uprooted  whole 
rows  of  forest  trees. 

"  An  enormous  mass  of  rock  detached  itself 
from  the  Eastern  Peak,  striking  and  smashing 
the  front  part  of  the  glacier.  Ice  and  boulders 
rolled  with  a  frightful  fracas  down  two  thou- 
sand meters  of  precipice  and  filled  the  valley 
and  the  gorge  with  their  debris. 

"  The  ice,  disintegrated  and  in  a  state  of 
thaw,  mingling  with  this  debris,  formed  a  bar- 
rier of  mud  thickly  strewn  with  enormous 
boulders,  which  overflowed  the  high  banks  of 
the  torrent,  crossing  the  Bois  Noir,  and  plunged 
into  the  valley  of  the  Rhone.  A  part  of  the 
stream  swept  over  on  the  right  bank  and  cov- 
ered the  hamlet  of  La  Rasse  with  mud. 

"  To  reestablish  the  communications  which 


190  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

had  been  interrupted  on  the  road  the  people 
made  a  bridge  of  long  ladders,  planks  and 
trunks  of  fir-trees.  Ropes  attached  to  these 
ladders  stretched  over  the  top  of  the  bank.  At 
each  fresh  onslaught  —  and  there  were  three 
or  four  a  day  —  a  man  stationed  in  the  gorge 
blew  a  whistle  to  announce  it  and  the  ropes 
were  immediately  pulled  to  prevent  the  bridge 
from  being  carried  away. 

"  M.  de  Bons,  an  eye-witness,  described  one 
of  these  coulees.  i  A  whitish  vapor  rose  into 
the  air  as  it  left  the  gorge.  At  the  same  instant 
a  dull  noise  and  a  violent  gust  of  wind  apprised 
us  of  the  approach  of  the  coulee.  The  moving 
mass  came  down  upon  us  with  irresistible  force 
but  so  slowly  that  a  man  at  his  ordinary  walk- 
ing pace  could  have  gone  on  his  way  without 
being  overtaken  by  it.  Enormous  blocks  of 
stone  seemed  literally  to  float  on  the  stream; 
at  times  they  stood  out  of  the  liquid  mass  as  if 
they  were  as  light  as  a  feather;  then  again 
they  would  tip  and  sink  into  the  mud  till  noth- 
ing could  be  seen  of  them.  A  little  farther 
down  they  could  be  seen  again  coming  gradu- 
ally to  the  surface,  to  float  for  a  while  until 
finally  swallowed  up,  repeating  at  various 
stages  of  their  progress  the  same  scenes  and 
the  same  accidents. 


The  Southern  Shore  191 

11  '  The  bed  of  the  torrent  was  remarkably 
narrow  at  one  point.  Huge  boulders  were 
stopped  there  and  formed  a  barrier  against 
which  the  fragments  carried  along  by  the  river 
were  collected.  For  some  minutes  a  strange 
conflict  was  waged  here,  the  rushing  debacle 
of  ice  and  water  endeavoring  to  flow  back  for 
a  long  distance;  the  river  rose  till  it  almost 
caused  a  freshet.  At  last  by  carrying  the  de- 
bris along,  it  succeeded  in  effecting  an  outlet 
and  overthrew  all  the  obstacles  impeding  its 
course.  Rocks,  trees,  lumps  of  ice,  debris  of 
every  kind  all  went  whirling  round  and  round 
with  a  long,  savage  roar,  then  disappeared  in 
the  current  and  were  borne  downwards  across 
the  slopes  of  the  Bois  Noir.' 

"  Since  1835  there  has  been  scarcely  any  dis- 
turbance in  the  mountain.  The  waters,  how- 
ever, are  at  work,  and  who  can  predict  that  a 
still  more  terrible  catastrophe  will  not  some 
day  desolate  the  valley  of  the  Rhone? 

"  The  people  no  longer  see  the  hand  of 
demons  in  these  devastations  nor  do  they  exor- 
cize the  mountain;  but  a  pious  custom  has  it 
that  each  year  a  procession  makes  its  way  to  a 
hill  above  La  Rasse  with  a  cross  standing  on  it 
and  there  invokes  the  Creator's  protection  by 
their  prayers." 


192  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

To  the  eye  that  sees,  the  solid  rock  is  just 
as  much  liquid  and  in  commotion  as  the  flowing 
river;  it  is  all  in  a  state  of  flux.  The  moun- 
tain-tops are  plunging  down  into  the  valleys 
and  then  the  rains  and  the  rivers  grasp  them 
and  roll  them  and  reduce  them,  until  the 
porphyry  and  the  granite  and  the  limestone  be- 
come almost  microscopic  sand,  which,  as  every 
one  knows,  blows  and  flows  like  water.  These 
beautiful  little  lakes,  which  one  sees  every- 
where in  Switzerland,  if  they  should  be  able  to 
write  their  autobiographies  —  indeed  they  are 
able  to  write  their  autobiographies  and  in 
hieroglyphics  which  Science  can  read  —  would 
tell  us  and  do  tell  us  of  many  a  rock-fall  which 
has  stopped  the  descent  of  rivers. 

I  remember  some  weeks  later,  as  we  were 
riding  in  the  "  Moto,"  as  I  call  the  touring- 
car,  up  to  Flims  —  a  most  absurd  and  flimsy 
squashing  up  of  the  Latin  name  flumina,  the 
streams  —  my  attention  was  called  to  the 
enormous  glacial  rock-fall  which  ages  ago 
blocked  up  the  whole  valley  of  the  Rhine  to  a 
depth  of  between  two  and  three  thousand  feet. 
The  river,  much  surprised,  had  to  go  to  work  to 
cut  through  the  mass  of  debris.  There  are  still 
several  of  the  lakes  which  came  from  the  same 
catastrophe  —  if  that  can   be   called   a   catas- 


The  Southern  Shore  193 

trophe  —  which  probably  affected  no  human 
being  for  the  worse.  Many  of  these  rock-falls, 
however,  have  ruined  whole  populations; 
churches  and  houses  have  been  swept  away. 
Sometimes,  after  a  long-continued  rain,  the 
whole  side  of  a  mountain-slope  will  begin  to 
sweep  down.  One  sees  the  same  thing  in  a 
smaller  scale  on  the  side  of  a  gulley  where  a 
road  has  been  lowered.  The  laws  of  gravita- 
tion, the  erosive  powers  of  water,  the  effects  of 
frost,  are  just  the  same  at  wholesale  as  they 
are  at  retail. 

The  bay  sweeping  in  between  the  cone  of  the 
Dranse  and  the  Pointe  d'Yvoire  is  called  La 
Grande  Conche.  We  lengthened  our  course  by 
following  the  shore,  though  we  kept  well  out 
beyond  the  mouths  of  the  two  torrents  which 
^Emile  told  us  were  Le  Redon  and  Le  Foron. 
Yvoire  is  different  from  the  other  promon- 
tories of  the  lake:  the  huge  blocks  of  stone 
which  are  scattered  about  make  it  evident  that 
it  is  the  remains  of  a  terminal  moraine.  This 
and  huge  boulders  which  have  been  discovered 
in  the  bottom  of  the  lake  prove  that  the  hollow 
valley  in  which  the  lake  lies  was  scooped  out 
by  a  glacier  which  as  it  melted  left  its  freight 
of  stone  brought  down  from  distant  mountain- 
sides. 


194  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

Just  off  Yvoire,  which  looks  very  attractive 
with  its  glistening  beaches  and  its  fine  old 
castle,  between  a  kilometer  and  a  half  and  two 
kilometers  away,  and  at  a  depth  of  about  sixty 
meters,  is  a  fishing-bank  called  L'Ombliere. 
There  the  much  esteemed  fish  "  l'omble  che- 
valier," or  in  German  der  Hitter,  comes  to 
breed  and  be  caught.  There  will  generally  be 
seen  clustered  together  the  fishermen's  boats 
with  their  lateen  sails  cock-billed.  Occasion- 
ally a  storm  comes  up  suddenly  and  works 
havoc.  They  still  talk  of  the  tornado  of  1879, 
when  eleven  Savoy  fishermen  were  drowned. 

There  are  about  twenty-two  different  kinds 
of  fish  inhabiting  the  lake,  several  of  them 
good  eating.  I  should  think  it  might  be  possi- 
ble to  introduce  the  whitefish  of  our  Great 
Lakes:  the  Leman  salmon  is  not  superior  to 
that  noble  ranger  of  the  depths. 

We  saw  a  good  many  wild  birds.  Emile 
gave  us  their  names  in  French:  les  besolets 
or  sea-swallows  —  the  kind  that  Rousseau 
went  out  to  shoot,  les  gros-sifflets  with  their 
sharp  whistle,  les  crenets  as  Rousseau  calls  the 
curlews,  les  sifflasons  which  we  could  see  run- 
ning along  the  beach  just  beyond  Yvoire,  and 
the  grebe  which  he  said  was  mighty  good  eat- 
ing.     Most    of    the    Mediterranean    sea-gulls 


The  Southern  Shore  195 

which,  like  human  beings,  like  a  change  of 
scenery,  and  which  in  winter  add  greatly  to 
the  life  of  the  lake,  had  returned  to  the  south. 
Beyond  Nernier  the  shores  contract  and  we 
enter  "  the  Little  Lake,"  which  it  is  supposed 
occupies  the  valley  excavated  by  the  Arve. 
We  were  fortunate  to  round  the  point  in  good 
time,  for  our  weather  had  been  too  good  to  last ; 
the  hard  greenish  coloured  clouds  streaking 
toward  the  southeast  after  a  reddish  sunrise 
had  betokened  a  change;  it  had  been  clouding 
up  all  the  forenoon,  and  before  we  got  out  into 
the  open  off  La  Pointe  d'Yvoire,  Le  Sudois  was 
blowing  "  great  guns  "  and  a  heavy  sea  was 
running.  It  seemed  best  to  take  the  swallow's 
swiftest  flight  for  Geneva,  not  pausing  as  we 
intended  to  do  at  Beauregard  or  the  Port  de 
Tougiies  or  indulging  in  historic  reminiscences 
suggested  by  the  valley  of  Hermance  where  the 
torrent  of  that  name  serves  to  separate  the 
canton  from  the  departement  —  Switzerland 
from  France.  Afterwards,  when  we  passed 
through  it  in  our  Moto,  we  had  a  chance  to  see 
its  quaint  streets,  its  houses  with  vines  clamber- 
ing over  them,  its  red-tiled  roofs.  Once  we  had 
to  turn  out  carefully  to  avoid  a  yoke  of  oxen 
which  seemed  to  think  they  owned  the  whole 
place. 


196  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

The  glimpse  of  La  Belotte  (to  mention  only 
one  of  the  dozen  places  that  charmed  us  as  we 
approached  .the  great  city)  would  have  in- 
spired a  painter.  Boats  were  drawn  up  along 
the  gently  shelving  shore;  there  were  several 
picturesque  brown  houses  which  looked  from 
the  distance  like  fish-houses,  only  neater  than 
most  of  those  we  see  along  our  New  England 
coast.  A  naue  with  two  butterfly  sails  was  just 
coming  in  from  up  the  lake.  Men  were  evi- 
dently hurrying  to  make  the  boats  safe  from 
the  gale,  if  it  should  develop  into  a  real  storm. 

The  lake  approach  to  Geneva  even  under  a 
grey  and  threatening  sky  gives  as  it  were  the 
key-note  to  its  extraordinary  charm.  Its  noble 
waterfront,  its  lofty  buildings,  its  background 
of  escarped  rocks  and  its  general  air  of  pros- 
perity, beckon  a  friendly  welcome.  We  darted 
in  between  the  two  phares  or  lighthouses  which 
decorate  the  long  jetties,  and  turning  aside 
from  the  surf  current,  we  came  alongside  the 
pleasant  Quai  du  Mont  Blanc. 


CHAPTER   XII 

GENEVA 

HORTLY  after  we  reached  the  Grand 
Hotel  des  Bergues,  which  is  so  beau- 
tifully situated  on  the  quai  of  the 
same  name,  it  began  to  rain.  My 
room  looked  down  on  the  He  Rousseau  with  its 
clustering  trees.  The  five  tall  poplars  stood 
dignified  and  disdainful  and  only  bent  their 
heads  when  a  gust  of  wind  swept  them;  but 
the  old  chestnut-trees  turned  up  their  pallid 
green  leaves  and  looked  unhappy.  Pradier's 
bronze  monument  streamed  with  raindrops. 
The  white  swans  ignored  the  downpour  and 
sailed  about  like  little  boats.  The  enforced 
monotony  of  quietude  required  by  confinement 
even  in  a  commodious  cockpit  made  exercise  in- 
dispensable, and,  after  luncheon,  we  protected 
ourselves  against  the  weather  and  sallied  out 
for  a  walk.  We  had  all  the  long  afternoon.  I 
proposed  to  go  to  Ferney  and  pay  our  respects 
to  the  memory  of  Voltaire,  but  we  found  it  was 
too  early  in  the  season.     A  few  weeks  later, 

197 


198  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

however,  one  beautiful  bright  "Wednesday,  we 
ran  over  in  the  Moto  and  carried  out  my  pious 
desire. 

My  next  proposition  was  to  walk  down  to  the 
junction  of  the  two  rivers.  There  is  nothing 
more  fascinating  on  earth  than  such  an  union; 
it  is  a  perpetually  renewed  marriage.  From 
far-separated  sources,  as  if  from  different 
families,  the  two  streams  come.  Like  human 
beings,  each  has  received  a  multitude  of  acces- 
sions as  if  from  varied  ancestry.  Then  at  last 
they  meet  and  cast  in  their  lots  together,  never 
again  to  be  parted  till  they  are  swallowed  up 
in  the  great  Ocean  of  Death  which  is  Life. 

.With  them  it  is  a  perpetual  circle  or  cycle  of 
reincarnation  or  rather  redaquation.  The 
greedy  air  sucks  up  the  water  and  carries  it 
away  on  its  windy  wings  until  it  is  caught  like 
a  thief  by  the  guardian  mountains  and  com- 
pelled to  disgorge.  The  mountains  are  unable 
to  keep  it  even  in  the  form  of  snow.  It  flows 
down  their  sides  in  the  slower  rivers  called 
glaciers,  which  toss  up  mighty  waves  and 
carry  with  them  great  freight  of  boulders. 
Then  the  fierce  Sun  shouts  down:  "  Surren- 
der," and  he  liberates  the  imprisoned  ice  and, 
once  more  changed  into  water,  it  gallops  down 
the  mountains  revenging  itself  for  its  years  or 


Geneva  199 

centuries  of  imprisonment  in  the  chains  of  the 
Frost  by  carrying  away  with  it  the  very  foun- 
dations on  which  the  mountains  rest,  until, 
undermined,  the  proud  peaks  fall  with  a  mighty 
crash. 

The  Rhone  and  the  Arve  do  not  fulfil  the 
marriage  injunction  all  at  once  and  become  one. 
The  muddy  grey  Arve  brings  down  a  quantity 
of  sand  and  rolls  considerable-sized  pebbles 
along  its  channel.  The  Ehone  emerges  clear 
and  blue.  Read  Ruskin's  famous  description 
from  the  Fourth  Book  of  the  "  Modern  Paint- 
ers: "  — 

' '  The  blue  waters  of  the  arrowy  Rhone  rush 
out  with  a  depth  of  fifteen  feet  of  not  flowing 
but  flying  water;  not  water  neither,  melted 
glacier  matter,  one  should  call  it ;  the  force  of 
the  ice  is  in  it  and  the  wreathing  of  the  clouds, 
the  gladness  of  the  sky  and  the  countenance  of 
time. ' ' 

So  we  plashed  along,  crossing  the  Rhone  by 
the  Pont  de  la  Coulouvreniere,  where  we  paused 
to  wonder  at  the  great  city  water  works  in- 
stalled in  1886  by  the  clever  engineer,  Turre- 
tini.  The  so-called  Forces  Motrices,  utilizing 
the  swift  descent  of  the  Rhone  makes  Geneva 
an  ideal  manufacturing  city.  Imagine  six  thou- 
sand horses  at  work,  never  wearied,  never  re- 


200  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

quiring  grain,  noiseless,  joyous !  Indeed  there 
is  something  rather  fine  in  the  idea  of  turning 
the  old  element,  Water,  into  its  Protean  mani- 
festation, light  and  electric  power.  It  goes 
through  the  turbines,  sets  them  whirling  and 
comes  out,  having  lost  nothing  by  this  tremen- 
dous output  of  energy  —  just  as  clear,  just  as 
beautiful,  just  as  sparkling.  It  does  not  harm 
an  element  any  more  than  it  harms  a  man  or  a 
horse  to  do  some  useful  work. 

But  it  is  evident  that  Switzerland,  like  other 
parts  of  the  world,  is  going  to  have  some 
trouble  to  unite  the  interests  of  those  that 
would  convert  her  hundreds  of  waterfalls  into 
centres  of  manufacturing-power  and  the  inter- 
ests of  those  that  would  keep  scenic  beauties 
free  from  all  mercantile  desecration.  What 
would  the  World  of  Travel  say  if  some  conces- 
sionaire should  take  possession  of  the  Staub- 
bach,  or  as  more  certain  the  Triimmelbach,  and 
pipe  it  in  an  ugly  steel  stand-pipe  to  create  elec- 
trical energy  for  the  purpose  of  manufacturing 
nitrates !  Yet  even  now  there  is  a  project  for 
damming  the  Rhone  between  Pyremont  and 
Bellegarde.  This  structure  would  be  one  hun- 
dred and  one  meters  in  height  and  would  cause 
the  water  to  back  up  even  to  the  Swiss  frontier, 
submerging  the  whole  valley. 


Geneva  201 

I  may  as  well  say  here  that  I  renewed  ac- 
quaintance with  my  steamship  friend,  M.  Cri- 
ant,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  going  with  him  and 
my  nephew,  some  weeks  later,  when  the  river 
was  much  diminished  in  volume,  to  that  won- 
derful curiosity  of  nature  called  La  Perte  du 
Rhone.  We  examined  the  narrow  deep  gorge 
between  the  Cret  d'Eau  and  the  Vuache  Moun- 
tain and  just  above  where  the  Rhone  and  the 
Valserine  meet,  the  river  narrows  to  about  fif- 
teen meters  in  width.  Here  for  a  distance  of 
twenty  kilometers  it  suddenly  disappears.  M. 
Criant  explained  the  cause  of  this  "  loss." 
The  bed  of  the  stream  consisted  of  two  strata 
or  matrasses  —  the  upper  harder  than  the 
lower.  Stones  of  various  sizes  brought  down 
by  the  Arve  and  whirled  around  by  the  swift 
current  of  the  big  torrent  —  falling  not  far 
from  twenty-five  meters  between  Bellegarde 
and  Malpertuis  made  pot-holes,  and  then  when 
they  reached  the  softer  strata  they  excavated 
it,  making  a  tunnel :  through  this  the  stream 
when  reduced  in  volume  makes  it  tortuous  and 
invisible  way. 

M.  Criant  did  not  believe  at  all  in  the  wis- 
dom of  building  this  dam  which  would  be  one 
of  the  highest  in  the  world.  It  would  cover  the 
Perte  du  Rhone  with  a  lake  nearly  seventy 


202  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

meters  deep,  and  although  power  enough  would 
be  created  to  supply  all  Lyons  and  perhaps  be 
carried  as  far  as  Paris,  still  it  would  be  a  men- 
ace to  the  safety  of  the  towns  below.  He 
agreed  with  his  friend  Professor  Blondel,  of  the 
Ecole  Superieure  des  Ponts  et  Chaussees,  that 
the  whole  valley  of  the  Rhone  is  in  unstable 
equilibrium,  and  such  a  mass  of  water  with  its 
enormous  weight  would  be  likely  to  tear  out  its 
walls  and  overwhelm  even  Lyons  with  its  catas- 
trophe. He  told  me  what  was  said  by  another 
friend  of  his,  M.  E.  A.  Martel.  He  did  this  as 
a  compliment,  and  I  hardly  dared  tell  him  what 
the  Congress  of  the  United  States  was  likely 
to  do  in  turning  over  the  wonderful  Hetch- 
Hetchy  Valley  to  the  water-seeking  vandals  of 
San  Francisco.    M.  Martel  said:  — 

"  In  the  United  States,  that  great  country, 
famous  for  its  monumental  works  and  the  utili- 
zation of  hydraulic  forces,  the  discussion  of  the 
two  projects  would  not  even  be  entered  into; 
for  the  Americans  who,  generally  speaking,  are 
not  embarrassed  with  a  sentiment  for  art,  at 
least  respect  and  worship  the  natural  beauties 
of  their  country.  We  must  recognize  their  tal- 
ent for  being  able  to  conciliate  at  once  the  pro- 
tection of  nature  and  the  development  of  in- 
dustries.   Long  since  they  would  have  declared 


Geneva  203 

the  Perte  and  the  Canyon  of  the  Rhone  to  be 
a  National  Park  and  the  two  dams  (lower 
down)  would  have  become  an  accomplished 
fact. 

"  At  Niagara  Falls  an  agreement  was  made 
with  the  Canadian  Government  so  that  the 
primitive  natural  aspect  of  the  banks  them- 
selves was  preserved.  Its  immediate  shores 
are  freed  from  all  installations,  constructions 
and  parasitic  shops.  But  this  has  not  pre- 
vented the  establishment  and  development,  in 
a  discreet  and  invisible  way,  of  methods  of 
taking  the  water  above  the  falls,  while  the 
machinery  that  transforms  the  force  of  the 
water  into  electric  energy  is  placed  below, 
thereby  not  injuring  the  beautiful  features  of 
the  landscape." 

M.  Criant  showed  how,  easy  it  would  be  to 
solve  the  difficulty  here  in  a  more  economical 
way  and  at  the  same  time  make  the  approach 
to  this  wonderful  curiosity  of  nature  more 
feasible. 

My  nephew  and  I  walked  down  as  far  as  the 
end  of  the  fascinating  Sentier  des  Saules,  out 
to  the  very  point  where  the  two  swirling 
streams  begin  their  passionate  wooing.  If  it 
had  been  a  pleasant  afternoon  we  should  have 
crossed  the  Arve  by  the  Pont  de  Saint-Georges 


204  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

and  penetrated  the  Bois  de  la  Batie,  but  an 
umbrella  has  no  place  in  a  grove,  and  so  we 
came  back  by  the  boulevard  named  for  the 
same  popular  saint,  past  the  Velodrome  and 
the  gas  works,  the  cemetery  of  Plainpalais  to 
the  Place  Neuve.  Here  we  admired  Le  Grand 
Theatre,  standing  by  itself  with  ample  ap- 
proaches and  artistic  fagade  adorned  with 
sculptures  and  stately  columns. 

It  is  a  splendid  thing  for  a  man,  whether 
prince  or  pawnbroker,  enriched  through  the 
forced  or  accidental  gift  of  the  people,  to  return 
his  fortune  in  the  form  of  a  benefaction  en  bloc. 
This  the  true  osmose  of  wealth,  to  use  a  chem- 
ical figure.  The  slow  flowing  of  countless  littles 
into  the  hands  of  the  One  Overmaster  Great  is 
suddenly  reversed.  So  it  was  with  the  fortune 
of  Duke  Charles  II  of  Brunswick,  who  died  in 
1873  and  left  Geneva  twenty  millions  of  francs 
for  public  purposes.  This  has  enabled  Geneva 
to  build  the  opera-house,  and  to  carry  on  many 
other  municipal  undertakings.  Duke  Charles 
had  fifteen  years  of  sovereignty  though  a  good 
part  of  that  time  he  had  to  be  studying  his 
lessons  while  a  regent  ruled  for  him.  When  he 
became  of  age  he  became  a  tyrant  and  his 
people  drove  him  out.  He  gave  Napoleon  the 
Little  pecuniary  aid  and  expected  to  be  rein- 


Geneva  205 

stated,  but  after  1848  that  was  hopeless.     In 
1870  he  retired  to  Geneva  and  died  there. 

Of  course  the  duke  himself  had  to  be  com- 
memorated by  a  decorative  monument  and 
place  was  found  for  it  between  the  Quai  du 
Mont  Blanc  and  the  plaza  des  Alpes.  It  takes 
up  considerable  room.  There  is  a  platform 
more  than  sixty-seven  meters  long  (two  hun- 
dred and  twenty- two  feet)  and  nearly  twenty- 
five  meters  (seventy-eight  feet)  wide  and 
about  twenty-one  meters  (sixty-six  feet)  high. 
On  this  stands  a  three-story  hexagonal  canopy 
sheltering  a  sarcophagus  bearing  a  recumbent 
figure  of  the  duke  by  Iguel,  who  also  designed 
the  reliefs  depicting  historic  events  in  Bruns- 
wick. At  each  of  the  six  corners  are  marble 
statues  of  his  Guelf  kinsmen.  At  a  pedestal 
to  the  right  is  a  bronze  equestrian  statue  of 
Charles  II.  Two  colossal  lions  of  yellow  mar- 
ble, like  those  in  Pilgrim's  Progress  war- 
ranted not  to  bite,  guard  the  entrance.  The 
architect,  Franel,  went  for  his  inspiration  to 
the  flamboyant  Gothic  tomb  of  the  Delia  Scala 
princes  at  Verona  but  it  is  generally  consid- 
ered that  he  did  not  imp-rove  on  his  model.  The 
equestrian  statue  was  at  first  mounted  on  top 
of  the  monument  and  there  are  pictures  of  it 
in  that  position  but  apparently  people  won- 


206  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

dered  how  a  horse  could  have  climbed  so  high 
and  so  they  made  him  back  down. 

Sculpture  at  its  best  is  the  most  decorative 
of  all  the  arts,  at  least  for  out-of-doors,  but 
mediocre  statuary  ought  to  be  regarded  as  what 
Mrs.  Malaprop  called  a  statuary  offence.  Ge- 
neva is  not  much  more  fortunate  than  other 
cities  in  the  appropriateness  of  its  sculptures. 

Victor  Hugo,  who  made  a  flying  visit  to 
Geneva  in  September,  1839,  thought  the  city 
had  lost  much  by  its  so-called  improvements. 
He  did  not  like  it  that  the  row  of  old  worm- 
eaten  dilapidated  houses  in  the  Rue  des  Domes, 
which  made  such  a  picturesque  lake-front,  had 
been  demolished,  and  he  thought  the  white 
quais  with  the  white  barracks  which  the  worthy 
Genovese  regard  as  palaces  could  not  compare 
with  the  old  dirty  ramshackle  city  which  he  had 
known  a  dozen  or  so  years  previous.  He  com- 
plained bitterly  because  they  had  been  putting 
it  through  a  process  of  raking,  scraping,  level- 
ling and  weeding  out,  so  that  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  Butte  Saint-Pierre  and  the  bridges 
across  the  Rhone  there  was  not  an  ancient 
structure  left.  He  called  it  "  a  platitude  sur- 
rounded by  humps." 

"  Nothing,"  he  said,  "  is  more  unattractive 
than  these  little  imitation  Parises  which  one 


Geneva  207 

now  finds  in  the  provinces,  in  France  and  out 
of  France.  In  an  ancient  city  with  its  towers 
and  its  carved  house-fronts,  one  expects  to  find 
historic  streets,  Gothic  or  Roman  bell-towers; 
but  one  finds  an  imitation  Rue  de  Rivoli,  an 
imitation  Madeleine  resembling  the  facade  of 
the  Bobino  Theater,  an  imitation  Column  Ven- 
dome  looking  like  an  advertising-tower." 

I  wonder  what  he  would  have  thought  of  the 
Duke  Charles  II  imitation.  Nevertheless  time 
has  justified  the  Genevans ;  its  brand-new  quais 
are  no  longer  glaringly  new,  and  "  its  yellow 
and  its  white  and  its  plaster  and  its  chalk  " 
have  been  toned  down  by  time.  It  has  grown 
into  a  truly  imperial  city.  I  was  surprised  at 
the  number  of  buildings  of  seven  stories  and 
more ;  it  cannot  be  called  an  imitation  of  Paris. 

In  one  of  the  second-hand  book-shops  —  I 
wonder  why  they  are  always  on  quais,  where 
there  are  quais  —  I  picked  up  an  amusing  little 
volume  entitled,  "  The  Present  State  of  Ge- 
neva," published  in  1681  and  purporting  to 
have  been  composed  in  Italian  for  the  Great 
Duke  of  Florence  by  Signior  Gregorio  Seti.  He 
begins  with  this  bold  statement:  —  "Geneva, 
as  appears  by  some  chronicles  of  the  County  of 
Vaux,  is  one  of  the  ancientist  cities  of  Europe, 
being  commonly  supposed  to  have  been  built  by 


208  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

Lemanus,  son  of  Hercules,  the  great  King  of 
the  Gaules,  who  gave  his  name  likewise  to  the 
Lake  Lemanus.  The  first  foundation  of  it  was 
laid  in  the  Year  of  the  World  3994,  upon  a  little 
rising  Hill  covered  with  Juniper  Trees  called 
by  the  French  Geneuriers,  from  whence  it  af- 
terwards took  the  name  of  Geneura." 

He  goes  on  to  say :  —  "  In  the  time  of  Julius 
Caesar  this  City  was  of  great  renown  and  by 
him  called  the  Bulwork  of  Helvetia  and  fron- 
tiere  town  of  the  Allobrogi,  which  name  at 
present  it  deserves  more  than  ever. 

"  When  the  eruption  was  made  upon  the 
Swiss ers  in  the  year  of  God  230,  by  the  Em- 
peror Heliogabalus  Geneva  was  almost  utterly 
destroyed  by  Fire  but  in  the  Time  of  Aurelian 
the  Emperour  about  the  Year  of  Grace  270,  it 
was  by  the  same  Emperour  rebuilt,  who  having 
bestowed  many  priviledges  on  those  that  came 
to  repair  it,  commanded  it  for  the  future  to  be 
called  Aurelia,  but  the  inhabitants  could  not 
easily  banish  from  their  minds  the  ancient 
name  of  Geneva  which  to  this  day  it  bears, 
though  during  the  Life  of  Aurelian  they  called 
it  Aurelia." 

He  tells  how  on  the  south  it  is  "  adorned  with 
a  spatious  Neighboring  Plain  reaching  to  the 
very  Walls  and  encompassed  by  two  large  Riv- 


Geneva  209 

ers,  the  Rone  and  the  Arue.  This  Plain,"  he 
says,  "  serves  the  Citizens  for  a  place  of  diver- 
sion and  Recreation  and  here  they  walk  to  take 
the  Air  and  refresh  themselves  in  the  delight- 
ful Gardens  which  inviron  it,  of  which  there  is 
a  great  number.  There  likewise  they  train  and 
exercise  their  Souldiers  and  divert  themselves 
at  Play  in  a  long  Mall. 

"  This  Plain  is  commonly  called  the  Plain 
Palace  and  in  a  Corner  thereof  where  the  Arue 
falls  into  the  Rone  there  is  a  spatious  burying 
place  for  the  dead." 

At  that  time  there  were  four  bridges.  All 
four  had  originally  houses  and  shops  on  them 
but  in  1670  a  terrible  fire  broke  out  on  one  of 
the  largest  and  most  inhabited  of  them  and 
destroyed  seventy  houses,  leaving  one  hundred 
and  thirty  families  homeless  and  taking  the 
lives  of  more  than  a  hundred  persons.  The  new 
bridges  that  took  the  places  of  the  old  ones 
were  by  edict  freed  from  all  such  incumbrances, 
which,  however  picturesque,  are  certainly  dan- 
gerous and  unsanitary. 

The  little  book  contained  a  good  deal  of  in- 
formation in  small  space,  in  spite  of  its  erratic 
spelling.  It  stated,  for  instance,  that  Calvin 
was  originally  buried  in  Plain  Palace,  but  when 
the  Genevians  heard  that  the  Savoyards  were 


210  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

coming  "  to  dig  up  and  insult  over  his  bones 
they  were  removed  and  buried  within  the 
cloyster  of  Saint  Peter's  Church." 

We  had  plenty  of  time  to  go  there.  We  could 
see  its  towers  and  spire  high  in  the  driving 
clouds,  and  its  roof,  which  reminded  me  of  a 
Western  political-convention  hall.  Considering 
that  it  was  built  so  early  as  the  Tenth  Century, 
it  ought  to  have  the  deepest  historical  interest. 
Probably  the  Emperor  Conrad,  who  founded  it, 
would  probably  hardly  recognize  it,  so  much 
has  it  been  altered  since  his  stormy  life  closed. 
No  wonder  he  wanted  a  cathedral  in  those  Alps 
which  he  was  for  ever  crossing.  As  soon  as  he 
got  out  of  sight  down  in  Italy  his  German  sub- 
jects revolted ;  then  when  he  had  returned  and 
punished  them  the  Italians  would  try  to  throw 
off  his  yoke.  Life  was  not  smooth  for  him 
either  as  King  of  the  Germans,  or  as  Emperor 
of  the  Romans  or  as  ruler  of  the  Burgundians, 
but  five  years  before  he  died  he  saw  his  cathe- 
dral consecrated.  Something  happened  to  it 
a  couple  of  hundred  of  years  later  (about  the 
middle  of  the  eighteenth  century) :  it  was 
probably  enlarged.  Then  its  Romanesque  style 
of  architecture  was  made  ridiculous  by  a  Corin- 
thian portico. 

A  Corinthian  portico,  being  Greek,  perhaps 


SWISS    MEDIAEVAL   CARVINGS. 


Geneva  211 

was  not  theoretically  so  out  of  place  if  Don 
Gregorio  Seti  was  right  in  telling  us  that 
"  Saint  Peter's  Church  was  in  ancient  times 
dedicated  to  Apollo,  as  is  to  be  seen  in  some 
very  old  inscriptions." 

We  went  into  the  venerable  edifice  and  my 
nephew  suggested  that  I  had  better  initiate 
myself  first  of  all  by  sitting  down  in  the  sacred 
chair  that  once  belonged  to  John  Calvin.  If 
there  had  been  any  risk  of  inoculating  myself 
with  his  grim  and  forbidding  theology  by  sit- 
ting in  the  seat  of  the  Calvinists,  be  sure  I 
should  have  refrained.  Calvin  was  a  wonderful 
man,  but  at  heart  a  tyrant.  He  could  not  en- 
dure contradiction.  Jerome  Bolsec  found  that 
out  when  he  got  the  better  of  him  in  his  argu- 
ment on  predestination:  "  You  make  God  the 
author  of  sin,"  said  he,  "  for  you  say  in  your 
Institution,  '  God  foresaw  Adam's  Fall  and  in 
this  Fall  the  ruin  of  all  mankind ;  but  He  willed 
it,  He  ordered  it  and  predetermined  it  in  His 
eternal  plan.  God  willed  that  the  Israelites 
should  worship  the  golden  calf  and  that  men 
should  be  guilty  of  the  sins  that  they  commit 
every  day.'  God  being  a  simple  and  changeless 
Being,  how  can  He  be  in  accord  with  Himself, 
since  in  Him  are  two  things  contrary,  Will  and 
Not-will?     How  can  He  order  and  forbid  the 


212  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

same  thing?  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  Will  of 
God  is  the  substance  of  God  Himself,  it  is  the 
cause  of  the  sins  committed  by  men;  conse- 
quently God  is  the  author  of  evil." 

Calvin  tried  to  creep  out  of  the  dilemma  by 
saying:  — "  I  have  said  that  God's  will  as  a 
supernatural  cause  is  the  necessity  for  all 
things;  but  I  have  declared  at  the  same  time 
that  God  does  what  He  does  with  such  justice 
that  even  the  wicked  are  constrained  to  glorify 
Him." 

Bolsec,  who  could  see  no  equity  in  such  a 
justice  as  that,  would  not  give  in  and  Calvin 
used  his  power  to  exile  him.  He  was  forbidden 
to  return  under  pain  of  being  whipped  through 
all  the  squares  of  the  city. 

It  is  wonderful  what  an  influence  and  for  so 
long  a  time  was  exercised  by  Calvin.  Certainly 
during  all  the  years  while  the  fortifications 
stood  and  the  gates  were  shut  at  night  no  one 
dared  contravene  the  strict  regulations  which 
his  theocracy  enjoined. 

There  are  other  famous  people  buried  in  the 
Cathedral  of  Saint  Peter.  Near  the  main  en- 
trance is  a  tablet  commemorating  Theodore 
Agrippa  d'Aubigne,  the  Huguenot  adviser  to 
Henry  IV  who  spent  the  last  twenty  years  of 
his  life  in  Geneva  and  died  there  in  1630.    He 


Geneva  213 

was  the  grandfather  of  Madame  de  Maintenon, 
wife  of  a  poet  and  wife  of  a  king.  We  noted 
the  black  tombstone  to  Cardinal  Jean  de 
Brogny  who  built  the  lovely  Gothic  Chapelle 
des  Macehabees,  now  excellently  restored. 
"  Anno  1628,"  says  our  friend  Signior  Seti, 
"  was  interred  Emilia  of  Nassau  and  sometime 
after  the  Princess  her  sister,  both  Sisters  to 
the  Prince  of  Orange,  Emilia  being  Wife  to 
Don  Antonio,  King  of  Portugal,  who  was  ban- 
ished by  the  Spaniards.  In  another  Chappel 
lies  the  Body  of  the  Duke  of  Bohan,  buried  in 
the  year  1638  in  a  most  magnificent  monument 
built  by  the  Dutchess,  who  was  laid  there  also 
near  her  husband  in  the  year  1660,  as  their  son 
Tancred  was  in  the  year  1661." 

Perhaps  the  "  magnificent  monument  "  is  the 
black  marble  sarcophagus,  but  the  statue  of  the 
duke  who  was  leader  of  the  French  Protestants 
and  fell  at  the  battle  of  Bheinfelden  is  modern 
—  the  work  of  Iguel. 

His  "  Dutchess  "  was  the  daughter  of  the 
famous  "  reformer  of  finances,"  the  Due  de 
Sully,  whose  great  scheme  for  an  International 
Amphyctionic  Council  supplied  by  the  fifteen 
Christian  States  of  Europe  seems  to  have  fore- 
shadowed the  modern  Interparliamentary 
Union. 


214  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

By  rare  good  fortune  some  one  was  practis- 
ing on  the  excellent  organ.  Whoever  it  was 
played  a  prelude  and  fugue  of  Bach  and  a  bril- 
liant piece  which  I  recognized  as  by  Saint- 
Saens. 

On  our  way  back  from  the  cathedral  we 
swung  round  by  the  English  Garden  and  the 
National  Monument  with  its  two  figures  repre- 
senting symbolically  Helvetia  and  Geneva. 
Like  most  such  colossal  sculptures  the  farther 
away  one  gets  the  better  it  looks :  that  may  be 
carried  to  its  logical  extreme !  Then  we  crossed 
the  long  Pont  du  Mont  Blanc  but  his  Majesty 
was  wholly  hidden  in  the  clouds.  There  were 
people  fishing,  however,  just  as  they  have  al- 
ways fished  from  the  beginning  of  time.  What 
says  Signior  Seti?  —  "  Fishing  in  the  Lake  of 
this  City  is  very  considerable  both  for  the 
profit  and  pleasure ;  they  commonly  take  trouts 
of  four  score  pound  weight  at  twelve  ounces 
the  pound  and  in  the  Middle  of  the  River  oppo- 
site it  the  Town  preserve  their  fish  alive  for 
use  on  two  little  deal  board  houses  made  for 
that  purpose.  In  the  Summer  time  it  is  a  very 
pleasant  recreation  to  go  a  Fishing  here  and 
both  strangers  and  Citizens  mightily  delight  in 
it." 

Not  then,  but  at  another  time,  I  amused  my- 


Geneva  215 

self  watching  the  dozens  of  washerwomen  by 
the  riverside,  in  booths  roofed  over  and  closed 
at  the  ends  —  leaning  forward  on  their  bare 
arms  and  spending  more  time  gossiping  in  their 
terrible  dialect  or  watching  the  little  boats  fly- 
ing by.  The  Billingsgate  of  a  Genevan  blan- 
chisseiise  is  not  so  melodious  as  the  notes  of 
a  Vallombrosan  nightingale,  but  it  has  a  pic- 
turesque quality  all  its  own. 

As  it  was  still  raining  we  decided  not  to  go 
out  after  dinner.  But  in  spite  of  the  rain  I 
confessed  to  myself  that  I  liked  my  first  sight 
of  Geneva  and  cherished  a  sneaking  regret  in 
my  heart  that  Will  and  Ruth  had  not  chosen 
their  residence  there  instead  of  locating  at 
Lausanne.  Any  place  that  is  cheerful  in  a  rain- 
storm is  the  place  for  me,  and  I  thought  Ge- 
neva actually  smiled  through  her  tears,  if  I  may 
so  express  myself. 


CHAPTER   XIII 

SUNRISE   AND   ROUSSEAU 

HE  weather  showed  unusual  good 
humour  by  clearing  in  the  night. 
Geneva  woke  up  to  bright  sparkling 
sunshine.  I  went  out  before  break- 
fast, indeed  before  sunrise,  on  the  bridge,  and 
had  a  most  glorious  view  up  the  lake  and  up  to 
the  very  summit  of  Mont  Blanc.  White  as 
sugar,  it  lifted  its  aerial  head  into  the  azure  — 
a  solid  cloud  which  looked  as  if  it  might  at  any 
moment  take  wings  and  fly  away.  A  well-in- 
formed policeman  told  me  the  names  of  the 
other  peaks :  L 'Aiguille  du  Midi,  nearly  a  thou- 
sand meters  lower  than  the  crowning  height: 
La  Dent  du  Geant;  Les  Grandes  Jorasses 
(from  that  same  word,  joux,  meaning  rock) ; 
Les  Aiguilles  Rouges;  La  Mole,  contrasting 
with  the  sharp  peak  of  the  Aiguille  d 'Argen- 
tine, rightly  suggesting  silver.  If  any  one  is 
satisfied  with  a  distant  prospect  of  mountains, 
his  eye  would  never  weary  of  that  glorious 

216 


Sunrise  and  Eousseau  217 

sight;  but  there  is  an  attractive  power  in  the 
great  mountain-masses.  They  beckon,  they 
say:  —  "  Come  to  us;  we  want  you;  you  are 
ours." 

That  is,  however,  a  wholly  modern  concep- 
tion. If  in  the  old  days  human  consciousness 
felt  the  call,  heard  the  summons,  it  was  with  the 
horror  with  which  a  bird  feels  the  impulse  to  fly 
into  the  serpent's  jaws.  Not  so  many  years 
ago  the  popular  imagination  filled  the  ravines 
of  the  higher  mountains  with  other  terrors  be- 
sides the  frost.  Dragons  haunted  caverns; 
with  bated  breath  men  told  of  having  seen  the 
dance  of  Wotan  on  the  Diablerets,  or  of  having 
heard  fiends  playing  nine-pins  with  great  stones 
which,  when  they  missed  their  mark,  went  dash- 
ing and  crashing  down  into  the  valleys.  "What 
herdsman  would  dare  approach  the  Grotte  de 
Balme,  that  cavern,  hollowed  out  in  the  lime- 
stone rock,  where  dark-skinned  fairies,  with  no 
heels  to  their  feet,  but  with  long,  rippling  hair, 
lured  young  men  to  their  destruction!  There 
was  the  spectral  ram  of  Monthey;  there  was 
the  three-legged  horse  of  Sion;  there  was  the 
giant  ox  of  Zauchet,  with  glowing  horns  and 
flaming  torch  of  a  tail;  there  was  the  blue- 
haired  donkey  of  Zermatt.  Down  from  the 
mountains  to  Neuchatel  there  used  to  come  a 


218  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

ghost,  wearing  a  cloth  dripping  with  blood, 
and  vanishing  toward  the  lake.  It  was  that  of 
the  widow  of  Walther,  Cornte  de  Rochefort, 
publicly  accused  of  forgery  and  beheaded  in 
1412.  The  sight  of  her  presaged  a  conflagra- 
tion. 

The  Lord  of  Grimmelstein  killed  a  doe  and 
her  fawns  and  was  condemned  to  hunt  through 
the  mountains  —  one  of  those  famous  Wild 
Hunts  which  are  accompanied  by  terrible  tem- 
pests, and  overwhelming  snows. 

There  was  a  herd  of  chamois  tended  by 
dwarfs.  Woe  to  those  hunters  who  killed  too 
many! 

As  in  Schiller's  poem,  the  gazelle  climbs  to 
the  ruggedest  top  of  the  naked  precipice  with 
the  huntsman  close  behind  and,  just  as  he  is 
about  to  fit  the  arrow  to  the  string,  the  ancient 
Spirit  of  the  Mountain,  the  good  Genius  of  the 
trembling  creature,  appears  to  him :  —  "  Earth 
has  room  for  all  to  dwell  —  Why  chase  my  be- 
lov'd  gazelle?  " 

At  the  entrance  of  the  Rhone  into  the  lake 
there  used  to  be  low  banks  and  wandering 
islands.  Here  dwelt  the  nixies  and  their  queen, 
Finetta  of  the  White  Hand.  She  wore  lilies  in 
her  golden  hair.  Any  one  who  saw  her  was 
sure  to  die  within  a  year. 


Sunrise  and  Rousseau  219 

That  most  delightful  and  poetic  and  enthu- 
siastic of  mountain-climbers,  Emile  Javelle, 
made  friends  with  the  guides  and  herdsmen, 
and  was  for  ever  eliciting  from  them  avowals 
of  their  belief  in  spirits  and  dragons.  He  says 
that  any  night  passed  among  the  good  herds- 
men of  Salanfe,  under  the  Dent  du  Midi,  will 
be  rich  in  old  tales,  and  he  thus  relates  the 
legend  of  the  Monster  of  the  Jorat :  — 

"  The  herdsmen  tell  me  that  formerly  (some 
even  think  they  can  recall  the  time)  there  dwelt 
on  the  Col  du  Jorat,  a  monster,  a  dragon,  in 
fine  an  animal  of  unknown  species  and  horrible 
aspect,  who  guarded  the  passage  of  the  Col  by 
night.  He  had  already  claimed  many  victims 
and  the  boldest  hunters  dared  not  attack  him. 
Night  having  fallen,  he  descended  from  the 
glacier.  He  reigned  over  the  whole  mountain, 
and  woe  betide  the  man  who  approached  the 
Jorat. 

11  One  day,  at  last,  a  man  of  the  Rhone  val- 
ley had  been  condemned  to  death.  He  pos- 
sessed uncommon  strength  and  boldness.  Par- 
don was  offered  him  on  condition  that  he  should 
fight  the  monster  and  succeed  in  destroying 
him.  He  accepted,  climbed  up  to  Salanfe, 
waited  for  night  and  mounted  the  path  of  the 
Jorat.    It  is  said  that  the  battle  was  terrible; 


220  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

but  the  man  was  victorious  and  tranquillity 
was  after  that  restored  to  the  pastures  of 
Salanfe." 

Javelle  explained  the  reluctance  of  the 
mountaineers  at  climbing  to  the  upper  heights 
by  this  universal  belief  in  supernatural  powers, 
and  he  explained  the  belief  in  these  super- 
natural powers  by  their  very  familiarity  with 
the  strange  phenomena  of  the  mountains:  — 
"  They  see  the  boulders  come  rolling  down 
from  the  cliffs,  the  avalanches  breaking  off 
from  the  heights  and  dashing  down  to  demolish 
their  chalets  —  in  the  heights  originate  the 
storms;  and  there  also  they  hear  those  myste- 
rious crackings  of  the  glacier.  It  is  not  strange 
that  such  phenomena  should  be  explained  by 
them  in  legends." 

Their  imagination,  too,  is  shown  in  the  vari- 
ous names  which  they  confer  on  the  Devil. 
He  is  Lo  Grabbi,  the  Miser;  La  Beta  Crotze 
(Bete-a-grifTe),  the  beast  with  claws;  Le  Niton, 
the  Tricky  One;  Lo  Tannai,  Cavern-haunter; 
L'Oze  or  Lo  Mam,  the  Sly  One;  Lo  To-frou, 
the  Always  Abroad.  One  of  his  assistants  is 
the  Nion-nelou  (Nul-ne-1'entend),  who  hides 
behind  trees  and  jumps  out  to  scare  horses. 
The  Diablerets  are  the  very  stamping-ground 
of  dwarfs,  gnomes,  and  dragons.    When  a  pin- 


Sunrise  and  Rousseau  221 

nacle  is  doomed  to  fall,  they  quarrel  as  to  its 
direction.  At  Rubli  these  supernatural  beings 
are  called  gommes:  they  guard  mines;  at  night 
they  are  seen  as  meteors  going  from  place  to 
place. 

Whence  came  the  great  heaps  of  stones,  as 
for  instance  at  the  foot  of  Jolimont?  We  know 
that  these  vast  masses,  often  of  a  different  kind 
of  rock  from  that  characteristic  of  the  locality, 
were  brought  down  by  glaciers;  but  the  igno- 
rant peasants  attribute  them  to  Satan,  who,  of 
course,  was  intending  to  crush  some  Christian 
church  with  them,  but,  perhaps  through  catch- 
ing sight  of  a  cross,  was  compelled  to  drop 
them.  Some  of  these  stones  are  of  enormous 
size  —  the  Plowstone,  for  instance,  which  rises 
almost  twenty  meters  (sixty  feet)  above  the 
ground  between  Erlenbach  and  Wetzweil  and 
has  been  traced  to  its  original  source  in  the 
canton  of  Glarus. 

But  there  is  one  more  than  twice  as  big  at 
Montet,  near  Devent,  and  when,  later,  we  were 
going  over  the  Monte  Moro  pass,  we  saw  one 
near  the  Mattmark  See  which  it  is  estimated 
contains  two  hundred  and  forty  thousand  cubic 
feet  of  Serpentine.  Clever  old  Devil  to  get  rid 
of  his  burden!     The  Swiss  Government  now 


222  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

prohibits  breaking  up  these  blocks  of  stone  for 
building  purposes.  This  was  due  to  the  initia- 
tive of  the  Swiss  Scientific  Societies. 

Forbes,  in  his  "  Travels  through  the  Alps  of 
Savoy,"  gives  a  very  good  description  of  these 
masses  of  rock  as  seen  at  Monthey,  overlooking 
the  valley  of  the  Rhone :  — 

"  We  have  here  a  belt  or  band  of  blocks  — 
poised,  as  it  were,  on  a  mountain-side,  it  may 
be  five  hundred  feet  above  the  alluvial  flat 
through  which  the  Rhone  winds  below.  This 
belt  has  no  great  vertical  height,  but  extends 
for  miles  —  yes,  for  miles  —  along  the  moun- 
tain, composed  of  blocks  of  granite  of  thirty, 
forty,  fifty,  and  sixty  feet  to  the  side,  not 
a  few,  but  by  hundreds,  fantastically  balanced 
on  the  angles  of  one  another,  their  gray 
weather-beaten  tops  standing  out  in  prominent 
relief  from  the  verdant  slope  of  secondary 
formation  on  which  they  rest.  For  three  or 
four  miles  there  is  a  path,  preserving  nearly 
the  same  level,  leading  amidst  the  gnarled 
stems  of  ancient  chestnut-trees  which  struggle 
round  and  among  the  pile  of  blocks,  which 
leaves  them  barely  room  to  grow :  so  that  num- 
berless combinations  of  wood  and  rock  are 
formed  where  a  landscape-painter  might  spend 
days  in  study  and  enjoyment." 


Sunrise  and  Rousseau  223 

The  very  Pierres  de  Niton  which  entered 
into  the  foreground  of  the  picture  which  I  was 
contemplating  have  been  traced  to  the  Saint 
Bernard,  and  it  is  estimated  that  it  took  a 
thousand  years  for  the  glacier  to  bring  them 
down  from  that  height  and  deposit  them  in 
what  is  now  the  lake. 

As  I  stood  there  I  was  especially  led  to  think 
of  the  influence  that  Jean-Jacques  Rousseau  is 
supposed  to  have  exerted  in  stimulating  people 
to  enjoy  the  grander  aspects  of  Nature.  Lit- 
erature, before  Rousseau's  time,  has  little  to 
say  of  the  beauty  of  mountains.  They  were 
regarded  with  annoyance  as  obstacles,  with  ter- 
ror as  filled  with  dangers.  Joseph  Addison, 
speaking  of  the  Savoy  Alps,  says  they  are 
"  broken  into  so  many  steeps  and  precipices 
that  they  fill  the  mind  with  an  agreeable  kind 
of  horror  and  form  one  of  the  most  irregular, 
mis-shapen  scenes  in  the  world." 

I  am  not  sure  but  Jean-Baptiste  Tavernier, 
who  became  Baron  d'Aubonne,  from  the  name 
of  his  estate  near  Geneva,  does  not  deserve 
priority.  After  he  had  ended  his  travels  in  the 
Far  East  and  had  decided  to  settle  in  Switzer- 
land he  wrote  his  friends  in  Paris  of  his 
choice : 

"  Friends,  I  have  long  been  looking  for  a 


224  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

country-house  where  to  end  my  life  in  tran- 
quillity. 

"  Now  you  would  doubtless  choose  France; 
it  is  the  loveliest  country  in  the  world ;  no  other 
approaches  it. 

"  Gentlemen,  France  is  a  charming,  delight- 
ful country,  I  agree  with  you,  .  .  .  but  my 
heart  and  my  eyes  are  in  Switzerland. 

' '  '  What !  That  country  of  ice  and  sterile 
mountains,  whose  inhabitants  would  not  have  a 
quarter  of  the  subsistence  necessary  for  them, 
if  other  countries  did  not  support  a  large  part 
of  its  inhabitants !  ' 

11  You  know  Switzerland  very  well,  as  I  can 
see.  Gentlemen,  such  as  it  is,  for  me  it  is  the 
loveliest  country  in  the  world." 

It  was  one  of  the  boasts  before  Rousseau's 
time  that  a  seigneur's  place  should  have  no 
view.  Both  Madame  de  Genlis,  in  Voltaire's 
lifetime,  and  James  Fenimore  Cooper,  fifty 
years  after  the  great  Frenchman's  death,  no- 
ticed the  fact  that  the  view  from  Ferney  was 
quite  cut  off  by  shrubbery,  evidently  showing 
that  he  cared  little  for  it.  Madame  de  Stael, 
though  she  was  sympathetic  enough  with 
Rousseau,  cared  little  for  natural  scenery. 
When  some  enthusiastic  visitors  were  prais- 
ing   the    beauties    of    Lake    Leman    she    ex- 


Sunrise  and  Rousseau  225 

claimed :  — "  Oh  for  the  gutters  of  the  Rue 
deBac." 

But,  after  all,  it  is  only  fair  to  give  Rous- 
seau's own  words,  his  invitation  to  the  world 
to  come  to  Switzerland  and  share  with  him 
these  marvellous  scenes.  They  are  eloquent 
words,  indeed !  Nor  did  they  fall  on  unheeding 
ears. 

11  I  conduct  you  to  the  loftiest  mountains  of 
the  old  world,  to  the  most  ancient  laboratory  of 
Nature,  where  she  operated  with  boundless 
energy  before  man  existed,  and  where  she  pro- 
duces objects  of  inexpressible  sublimity  and 
beauty,  now  that  there  are  mortals  to  admire 
them.  I  conduct  you  to  the  secret  sources  of  the 
rivers  that  irrigate  and  fertilize  half  Europe. 
I  conduct  you  on  one  and  the  same  day  from 
the  scorching  heat  of  Spain  to  the  cold  of  Lap- 
land or  Spitzbergen;  from  the  vine  and  the 
chestnut-tree  to  the  Alpine  rose,  and  from  the 
Alpine  rose  to  the  last  insignificant  moss  that 
grows  on  the  extreme  verge  of  animated  Na- 
ture. 

"  You  shall  find  fragrance  in  flowers,  which 
in  the  valleys  yield  no  scent;  you  shall  pluck 
strawberries  on  the  margin  of  everlasting  ice. 

11  I  conduct  you  to  the  fountain  of  the  dews 
and  rains  that  dispense  blessings  over  half  our 


226  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

quarter  of  the  globe;  to  the  birthplace  of  re- 
freshing breezes  and  of  storms  which  temper 
and  purify  the  atmosphere. 

"  I  conduct  you  to  the  clearest  and  freshest 
springs,  the  most  magnificent  water-falls,  the 
most  extensive  glaciers,  the  most  stupendous 
snow-clad  mountains  and  the  most  fertile  pas- 
tures. The  tremendous  avalanche  shall  pursue 
before  you  its  thundering  career. 

"  The  brilliant  crystal,  the  swift  chamois, 
the  harmless  marmot,  the  soaring  eagle,  the 
rapacious  vulture,  as  unusual  objects,  will 
strike  your  eye  and  excite  pleasure  and  ad- 
miration. 

"  From  the  toiling  husbandman  you  will  as- 
cend to  the  happy  cowherd.  Innumerable 
flocks  of  cattle,  of  extraordinary  beauty  and 
spirit,  will  bound  about  you.  In  the  foaming 
milk  and  the  clotted  cream  you  will  taste  of  the 
riches  of  the  country  which  are  poured  forth 
into  the  most  distant  regions. 

"  But,  above  all,  you  will  be  delighted  with 
the  inhabitants,  men  of  rare  symmetry  of  form, 
active  and  robust,  cheerful  and  independent,  — 
women,  decked  with  unsophisticated  charms 
and  graces  and  manifesting  the  childlike  curios- 
ity and  the  engaging  confidence  of  the  ancient 
ages  of  innocence. 


Sunrise  and  Rousseau  227 

"  Old  traditions  and  rural  songs  will  meet 
your  ear,  and  the  picture  presented  in  the  idyls 
of  Theocritus  will  be  realized,  but  on  a  grander 
scale  and  with  more  diversified  accompani- 
ments. 

"  Lastly,  in  those  elevated  regions  you  will 
yourself  become  better;  you  will  verify  the 
promise  of  the  moral  philosopher;  you  will 
feel  greater  facility  of  respiration,  more  sup- 
pleness and  vigor  of  body,  and  greater  buoy- 
ancy of  spirits.  All  the  passions  are  here 
softened  down  and  pleasure  is  less  intense. 
The  mind  is  led  into  a  grand  and  sublime  train 
of  thought,  suited  to  the  objects  which  sur- 
round us;  it  is  filled  with  a  certain  calm  de- 
light unalloyed  with  anything  that  is  painful 
or  sensual.  It  seems  as  if  in  rising  above  the 
habitations  of  men  we  left  behind  us  all  base 
and  earthly  feelings;  and  as  if  the  soul  in  ap- 
proaching nearer  to  the  ethereal  heaven  ac- 
quired somewhat  of  its  unruffled  serenity." 

And  quite  a,  propos,  it  seems  to  me,  here 
is  Rousseau's  famous  description  of  the  sun- 
rise: 

' '  Let  us  betake  ourselves  to  some  lofty  place 
before  the  Sun  appears.  We  see  him  an- 
nounced from  afar  by  the  fiery  darts  which  he 
sends  before  him.    The  fire  increases ;  the  east 


228  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

seems  all  in  flames.  By  their  dazzling  splen- 
dor one  looks  for  the  orb  long  before  it  shows 
itself.  Each  instant  one  thinks  to  see  it  appear. 
There  it  is  at  last!  A  brilliant  point  shoots 
off  like  a  flash  and  instantly  fills  all  space.  .  .  . 

"  The  veil  of  darkness  is  rent  and  falls;  man 
recognizes  his  dwelling-place  and  finds  it  ever- 
more more  beautiful.  During  the  night  the 
verdure  has  taken  on  new  vigor;  the  dawning 
day  which  lights  it,  the  first  rays  which  gild  it, 
bring  it  before  us  with  a  glittering  panoply  of 
dew,  flashing  brilliant  colors  into  our  eyes. 
The  birds  join  in  chorus  and  salute  the  father 
of  life.  The  concourse  of  all  these  objects 
brings  to  the  senses  an  impression  of  freshness 
which  seems  to  penetrate  into  the  depths  of 
the  soul.  Here  is  a  half-hour  of  enchantment 
which  no  man  can  resist.  A  spectacle  so  grand, 
so  beautiful,  so  delicious,  leaves  no  one  un- 
moved. ' ' 

Eousseau  attributed  his  love  of  Nature  to  the 
two  peaceful  years  which  he  spent  at  the  par- 
sonage at  Borsey,  developing  as  they  did  his 
taste  and  enabling  him  later  to  bring  about  a 
complete  revolution  in  the  esthetic  and  literary 
tendencies  of  the  century.  If  Eousseau  got  up 
to  see  a  sunrise,  why,  then  it  became  the  fashion 
to  get  up  and  see  sunrises ;   if  Eousseau  went 


Sunrise  and  Rousseau  229 

to  a  high  mountain-top,  then  it  became  fashion- 
able to  go  to  high  mountain-tops.  Here  is  his 
recipe  for  mountain-climbing,  written  after  he 
had  made  an  excursion  on  foot  to  Valais  in  the 
Autumn  of  1759 :  — 

"  I  gradually  realized  that  the  purity  of  the 
air  was  the  real  cause  of  the  return  of  that  in- 
terior peace  which  I  had  lost  so  long.  In  fact 
on  high  mountains,  where  the  air  is  pure  and 
subtle,  we  feel  a  greater  facility  in  breathing, 
greater  physical  lightness,  greater  mental  se- 
renity. Our  meditations  take  on  a  peculiar 
character  of  grandeur  and  sublimity,  propor- 
tioned to  the  objects  surrounding  us.  It  seems 
as  if  in  rising  above  the  dwellings  of  men,  we 
left  behind  all  low  and  terrestrial  thoughts 
and,  in  proportion  as  we  approach  the  upper 
regions,  the  soul  attains  something  of  their 
changeless  purity.  Here  we  are  grave,  but  not 
melancholy ;  peaceful,  but  not  indolent ;  simply 
content  to  be  and  to  think.  I  doubt  if  any 
violent  agitation,  if  any  maladie  des  vapeurs 
could  resist  such  a  sojourn  if  prolonged,  and 
I  am  amazed  that  baths  in  the  wholesome  and 
beneficent  mountain-air  are  not  one  of  the  sov- 
ereign remedies  of  medicine  and  morals." 

The  same  idea  is  found  in  quaint  lines  in  a 
Mountain  Poem  by  Usteri: 


230  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

"  Uf  Bergen,  uf  Bergen 
Da  isch's  eim  so  wohl 
De  Berg  is  de  Doktor 
Fur  Seel  und  fur  Lyb!  " 

Alexander  Pope  and  other  old  English  writers 
are  always  talking  about  fits  of  "  vapours.' ' 
I  wonder  how  the  name  arose,  and  why  it  went 
out  of  style.  Vapour  comes  from  water,  tears 
are  water;  hence  vapours,  —  perhaps  that  is 
the  logic  of  the  term.  Of  course  then  they 
would  evaporate  in  the  dry  mountain-air. 

I  recollected  how  Rousseau  loved  this  very 
lake.  I  remembered  his  apostrophe  to  it  after 
he  had  been  out  sailing  on  it :  — 

"  As  we  skirted  the  shores,  I  admired  the 
rich  and  charming  landscapes  of  the  Pays  de 
Vaud,  where  the  hosts  of  villages,  the  green 
and  well-kept  terraces  on  all  sides  form  a  rav- 
ishing picture;  where  the  land,  everywhere 
cultivated  and  everywhere  fertile,  offers  the 
plowman,  the  herdman,  the  vintner  the  assured 
fruit  of  their  labors,  not  devoured  as  elsewhero 
by  the  grasping  tax-collector.  .  .  .  The  lake 
was  calm.  I  kept  perfect  silence.  The  even 
and  measured  noise  of  the  oars  set  me  to  dream- 
ing. A  cloudless  sky,  the  coolness  of  the  air, 
the  sweet  rays  of  the  moon,  the  silvery  shim- 
mer of  the  water  shining  around  us,  filled  me 


Sunrise  and  Rousseau  231 

with  the  most  delicious  sensations.  Oh,  my 
lake !  thou  hast  a  charm  which  I  cannot  explain, 
which  does  not  arise  wholly  from  the  beauty 
of  the  scene,  but  from  something  more  interest- 
ing, which  affects  me  and  touches  me.  When 
the  eager  desire  of  this  sweet  and  happy  life 
for  which  I  was  born  comes  to  kindle  my  imag- 
ination, it  always  attaches  itself  to  the  lake." 
And  then  again  his  poignant  cry  of  farewell : 
"  Oh,  my  lake,  on  the  shores  of  which  I 
spent  the  peaceful  years  of  mine  infancy, 
charming  landscapes  where  for  the  first  time  I 
witnessed  the  majestic  and  touching  sunrise, 
where  I  felt  the  first  emotions  of  my  heart,  the 
first  impulse  of  genius,  alas!  become  too  im- 
perious. .  .  .  Oh,  my  lake,  I  shall  never  see 
thee  more." 


CHAPTER   XIV 

THE    CITY    OF    ROUSSEAU    AND    CALVIN" 

PPARENTLY  Geneva  is  prouder  of 
being  the  Mother  of  Rousseau  than 
of  having  adopted  Calvin.  Both  were 
exiled  —  Calvin  by  his  enemies ; 
Rousseau  by  his  worst  enemy,  himself.  Cal- 
vin, having  settled  the  basis  of  his  theology, 
built  himself  on  it,  never  shaken;  Rousseau 
canted  and  recanted  and  rerecanted.  He  was 
a  Protestant;  he  was  a  Catholic;  he  was  a 
free-thinker;  he  was  a  deist. 

Once,  at  Madame  d'Epinay's,  Saint  Lambert 
avowed  himself  an  atheist.  Rousseau  ex- 
claimed:—  "  If  it  is  cowardice  to  allow  any- 
one to  say  ill  about  an  absent  friend,  then  it  is 
a  crime  to  allow  anyone  to  say  evil  of  his  God 
who  is  present,  and,  gentlemen,  I  believe  in 
God." 

Saint  Lambert  indulged  in  still  another 
sneering  remark  and  Rousseau  threatened  to 
leave  if  anything  more  of  the  kind  were  said. 

232 


The  City  of  Rousseau  and  Calvin  233 

Curiously  enough,  Rousseau,  who  was  a  stick- 
ler for  free  speech,  sided  against  Voltaire  in 
his  battle  against  Calvinism.  He  saw  that  the 
great  scoffer  wanted  to  upset  the  habits  and 
customs  of  Calvin's  city,  to  introduce  a  love  of 
pleasure  and  of  luxury  and  especially  of  the 
theatre.    He  wrote :  — 

"  So  Voltaire's  weapons  are  satire,  black 
falsehood,  and  libels.  Thus  he  repays  the  hos- 
pitality which  Geneva  by  a  fatal  indulgence 
has  shown  him.  This  fanfaron  of  impiety,  this 
lofty  genius  and  this  low  soul,  this  man  so 
great  through  his  talents,  so  base  (vil)  in  his 
use  of  them,  will  leave  long  and  cruel  memories 
among  us.  Ridicule,  that  poison  of  good  sense 
and  of  uprightness,  satire,  enemy  of  the  public 
peace,  flabbiness,  arrogant  pomp  will  hence- 
forth make  a  people  of  trivialities,  of  buffoons, 
of  wits,  of  commerce,  who  in  place  of  the  con- 
sideration once  enjoyed  by  our  literary  men 
will  put  Geneva  on  the  level  of  the  Academies 
of  Marseilles  and  of  Angers.' ' 

This  letter  was  widely  circulated.  Voltaire, 
who  might  have  been  more  offended  by  its  lack 
of  style  than  by  its  attack  on  him,  henceforth 
used  every  opportunity  to  injure  and  insult 
Rousseau. 

When   "  Emile  "   appeared   it    shocked   the 


234  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

theologians.  The  City  ordered  it  to  be  burned 
by  the  official  hangman.  The  Church  said  to 
him :  —  "  You  extol  the  excellence  of  the  Gospel 
yet  you  destroy  its  dogmas.  You  paint  the 
beauty  of  the  virtues  yet  you  snuff  them  out 
in  the  souls  of  your  readers.' '  He  was  even 
condemned  by  Parliament  to  be  imprisoned. 
The  pious  Jacob  Vernet,  Pastor  Mouton  and 
Pastor  Vernes  wrote  him  letters  expressing 
their  admiration  of  his  talents  but  criticizing 
some  of  his  views.  After  he  published  his 
4 '  Lettres  de  la  Montagne, ' '  which  caused  a  ter- 
rible hubbub,  Vernes,  Chapuis  and  Claparede 
publicly  attacked  him. 

Voltaire  wrote :  — "  Grand  and  edifying 
spectacle  presented  by  the  venerable  Company 
of  Pastors  at  Geneva !  While  the  Government 
is  burning  Eousseau's  books,  the  clergy  ap- 
proves of  them  and  finds  itself  very  happy  to 
be  reduced  to  a  natural  religion  which  proves 
nothing  and  asks  little." 

And  those  that  stoned  the  prophets  raise 
monuments  to  them.  Calvin,  whom  Eousseau 
called  "  esprit  dur  et  farouche,"  has  no  monu- 
ment, unless  a  street  named  after  him  may  be 
considered  as  one;  but  Rousseau  has  a  whole 
island  with  a  big  bronze  statue  on  it  and  a 
street  besides. 


The  City  of  Rousseau  and  Calvin  235 

This  is  the  substance  of  our  breakfast-table 
conversation.  When  we  had  finished  our  coffee 
and  rolls  we  started  out  for  a  long  walk.  Ruth, 
like  a  woman,  wanted  to  look  at  the  shops; 
Will  and  I  would  go  hunting  for  Rousseau  and 
Calvin. 

For  a  long  time  a  house  in  Geneva  bore  the 
inscription :  — 

ICI  EST  NE 

JEAN -JACQUES  ROUSSEAU 

LE  28  JUIN 

1712. 

But  that  was  a  mistake.  It  is  now  known  that 
he  was  born  in  his  father's  house,  Number  2, 
Grand'  Rue,  and  there  he  lived  till  1719.  Then 
he  went  to  live  at  73,  Rue  de  Constance.  His 
father,  Isaac  Rousseau,  though  of  a  family 
which  had  emigrated  from  Paris,  where  they 
had  been  booksellers,  and  had  for  two  hundred 
years  enjoyed  a  highly  respectable  position  in 
the  bourgeoisie  of  Geneva,  was  regarded  as 
rather  frivolous.  Probably  that  was  because 
he  varied  his  trade  of  watch-making  by  giving 
dancing-lessons.  Dancing  in  the  city  of  Cal- 
vin, in  spite  of  the  illustrious  example  of  King 
David  before  the  Ark  of  the  Tabernacle,  was 
regarded  with  little  favour.    He  engaged  in  a 


236  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

quarrel  with  the  retired  Captain  Goutier  and 
they  fought  a  duel  contrary  to  the  law.  Gou- 
tier was  wounded.  On  investigation  Isaac  was 
found  guilty  and  condemned  to  beg  pardon  on 
his  two  knees.  He  chose  to  expatriate  himself, 
and  Jean  Jacques  went  to  live  with  his  Uncle 
Bernard  at  19,  Grand'  Bue,  and  at  Bossey  with 
Pastor  Lambercie.  His  education  was  not 
wholly  neglected.    He  himself  says :  — 

"  At  the  age  of  seven  I  used  to  read  books 
of  history  with  my  father.  Plutarch  became 
my  favourite  study.  Agesilaus,  Brutus,  Aris- 
totle were  my  heroes;  from  the  discussions 
which  these  readings  caused  between  my  father 
and  me,  grew  that  free  and  republican  spirit, 
that  proud  indomitable  character,  impatient  of 
any  yoke  or  servitude,  which  has  so  tormented 
me  all  the  days  of  my  life.  Born  a  citizen  of 
a  republic,  son  of  a  father  whose  patriotism 
was  his  strongest  passion,  I  took  fire  by  his  ex- 
ample; constantly  occupied  with  Athens  and 
Rome,  I  became  the  very  person  whose  life  I 
was  reading;  the  story  of  the  acts  of  con- 
stancy and  bravery  which  struck  me,  made  my 
eyes  sparkle,  my  voice  grow  strong." 

Whatever  his  training  really  was,  for  he  is 
not  always  a  reliable  chronicler  of  his  own  ac- 
tions, he  contrasts  what  he  considered  the  ideal 


The  City  of  Rousseau  and  Calvin   237 

up-bringing  of  children  as  conducted  in  Swit- 
zerland with  that  of  the  French  children.  His 
words  were  destined  to  bear  fruit :  — 

"Is  it  not  supremely  ridiculous  to  educate 
boys  like  young  girls?  Ah,  it  is  truly  fine  to 
see  these  little  twelve-year-old  fops,  walking 
out,  their  hands  plump,  their  voices  delicate 
(flutees),  with  pretty  green  parasols  to  protect 
them  from  the  sun.  They  were  less  finical 
in  my  country:  children,  brought  up  in  rustic 
fashion,  had  no  complexions  to  preserve;  they 
feared  no  harm  from  the  air.  Their  fathers 
took  them  out  hunting  and  gave  them  all  kinds 
of  exercise.  They  were  reserved  and  modest 
in  the  presence  of  their  elders ;  they  were  bold, 
proud,  even  quarrelsome,  among  themselves; 
they  were  rivals  in  wrestling,  running,  boxing; 
they  were  skilled  in  fencing.  They  came  home 
rugged;  they  were  genuine  little  rascals;  but 
they  grew  into  men  whose  hearts  were  full  of 
zeal  in  their  country's  service  and  ready  to  give 
their  lives  for  her." 

In  April,  1725,  he  was  apprenticed  to  an  en- 
graver, named  Abel  Ducommun,  Rue  des 
Etuves,  Number  96,  third  floor.  He  liked  the 
trade,  for,  as  he  says,  he  had  a  lively  taste  for 
drawing;  but  his  master  was  brutal,  and  at 
last,  on  a  Sunday  evening  in  March,  1728,  hav- 


238  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

ing  been  locked  out  of  the  city  through  return- 
ing too  late  from  a  long  walk  beyond  the  walls 
and  having  spent  the  night  wretchedly  on  the 
glacis  "in  a  transport  of  despair  "  he  sud- 
denly swore  never  to  return  to  his  master's. 
Rogers,  in  one  of  his  poems,  thus  refers  to  this 
inhospitality  on  the  part  of  Geneva,  which,  of 
course,  was  possible  only  in  a  small  city  sur- 
rounded with  walls :  — 

"  On  my  way  I  went. 
Thy  gates,  Geneva,  swinging  heavily, 
Thy  gates  so  slow  to  open,  swift  to  shut; 
As  on  that  Sabbath-eve  when  He  arrived, 
Whose  name  is  now  thy  glory,  now  by  thee 
Such  virtue  dwells  in  those  small  syllables, 
Inscribed  to  consecrate  the  narrow  street. 
His  birth-place,  —  when  but  one  short  step  too  late, 
In  his  despair,  as  though  the  die  were  cast, 
He  flung  him  down  to  weep  and  wept  till  dawn; 
Then  rose  to  go,  a  wanderer  through  the  world." 

He  wandered  away  till  he  came  to  the  little 
Catholic  town  of  Confignon,  two  leagues  from 
Geneva,  and  became  the  guest  and  protege  of 
the  vicar  M.  de  Pontverre,  who  gave  him  deli- 
cious Frangi  wine  and  attempted  to  convince 
him  that  the  heresy  of  Geneva  was  ruinous  to 
hopes  of  salvation. 

Though  M.  de  Pontverre  was  a  religious 


(< 


The  City  of  Rousseau  and  Calvin   239 

man,"  says  Rousseau,  "  he  was  not  a  virtuous 
man,  but  rather  a  bigot,  who  knew  no  virtue 
except  worshiping  images  and  telling  his 
beads;  in  a  word,  a  kind  of  missionary  who 
thought  it  a  supreme  merit  to  compose  libels 
against  the  ministers  of  Geneva.  Far  from 
wishing  to  send  me  back,  he  endeavoured  to 
favour  my  escape  and  put  it  out  of  my  power 
to  return,  even  if  I  had  been  so  disposed.  There 
were  a  thousand  chances  to  one  that  he  was 
going  to  let  me  perish  of  starvation  or  become 
a  rascal ;  all  this  was  apart  from  his  purpose : 
he  saw  a  soul  snatched  from  heresy  and  re- 
stored to  the  bosom  of  the  Church:  whether 
I  were  an  honest  man  or  a  knave  was  immate- 
rial, provided  I  went  to  mass." 

At  Annecy  was  living  Madame  de  Warens, 
who  had  robbed  her  husband  of  his  forks, 
knives  and  spoons,  involved  him  in  debts,  and 
deserted  him  for  the  sake  of  embracing  Cathol- 
icism. She  was  earning  a  pension  of  two  thou- 
sand francs  a  year  from  the  King  of  Sardinia 
by  using  her  new  and  fervent  zeal  in  the  work 
of  propaganda.  M.  de  Pontverre  gave  Rous- 
seau a  letter  to  the  fair  and  frail  baroness. 
This  is  what  the  vicar  said :  — 

"  I  send  you  Jean  Jacques  Rousseau,  a  youth 
who  has  abandoned  his  country,    he  seems  to 


240  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

me  of  a  happy  character.  He  spent  a  day  with 
me  j  and  God  summons  him  to  Annecy. 

"  Try  to  encourage  him  to  embrace  Catholi- 
cism. It  is  a  triumph  to  bring  about  conver- 
sion. You  will  understand  as  well  as  I  do  that 
for  this  great  work  he  must  be  kept  at  Annecy, 
for  fear  he  may  receive  evil  instructions  else- 
where. Be  careful  to  intercept  all  letters  that 
might  be  written  from  his  country,  for  if  he 
thinks  he  is  abandoned  he  will  the  sooner  ab- 
jure. I  put  the  whole  matter  into  the  hands  of 
the  Almighty  and  yours,  which  I  kiss." 

"  Madame  de  Warens  at  that  time,"  says 
Rousseau,  "  was  young  and  charming;  she  was 
rich  and  noble ;  she  had  a  naturally  lively  wit ; 
she  liked  reading  and  pondering  over  what  she 
read,  devoting  herself  now  to  works  of  piety, 
now  to  the  works  of  the  learned  Bayle,  the 
Voltaire  of  his  day;  she  was  of  a  sweet  dis- 
position and  her  society  was  much  sought ;  she 
had  a  good  husband  and  they  led  an  easy  life 
together ;  her  days  were  cast  in  a  peaceful  and 
prosperous  epoch ;  she  spent  her  best  years  in 
those  enchanting  scenes  in  the  Pays  de  Vaud, 
where  Lake  Leman  spreads  its  limpid  waves, 
at  the  foot  of  the  lofty  mountains  of  Savoy, 
in  a  country  fertile  and  productive." 

Not  in  too  great  a  hurry  to  get  there,  saun- 


The  City  of  Rousseau  and  Calvin  241 

tering  along,  stopping  to  earn  a  bite  by  sing- 
ing under  chateau  windows,  he  finally,  on  Palm 
Sunday,  met  that  paragon. 

Years  afterwards  he  asked  himself  why  he 
could  not  enclose  with  a  golden  balustrade  the 
happy  spot  where  first  he  saw  her  and  render 
it  the  object  of  universal  veneration. 

To  many  much  of  the  spell  of  Switzerland 
comes  from  the  magic  of  Rousseau's  love  for 
the  fair  and  facile  deserter  and  from  the  im- 
mortal romance  in  which  as  Saint-Preux  and 
Julie  their  idealized  amour  lived  again.  She 
must  not  escape  us  thus :  we  shall  learn  more 
of  her  in  another  place. 

Rousseau  declared  that  he  expected  to  find 
a  devout  and  forbidding  old  woman;  instead 
he  "  saw  a  face  beaming  with  charms,  fine  blue 
eyes  full  of  sweetness,  a  complexion  which 
dazzled  the  sight,  the  lovely  lines  of  an  enchant- 
ing bosom  "  and  he  was  henceforth  hers.  She 
put  him  immediately  at  his  ease  and  sent  him 
a  little  later  to  Turin,  where  he  felt  himself 
constrained  to  sell  his  religion:  it  was  at  the 
price  of  his  self-respect,  but  he  did  many 
things  at  that  price  first  and  last.  More  im- 
portant in  his  development  was  his  acquaint- 
ance with  the  Abbe  Gaime,  who,  like  so  many 
abbes,  was  a  deist  and  did  not  believe  in  super- 


242  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

natural  revelation  or  in  the  miracles;  but  he 
seems  to  have  been  a  man  of  high  character 
whose  principles  often  kept  Rousseau  from 
regrettable  acts. 

After  his  disappointing  experiences  in  Turin, 
as  draughtsman,  footman,  clerk,  beggarman, 
thief,  he  returned  to  Annecy.  Madame  de 
Warens  asked  her  cousin,  M.  d'Aubonne,  "  a 
man  of  great  understanding  and  cleverness," 
but  an  adventurer,  to  examine  Rousseau  as  to 
whether  it  were  best  for  him  to  be  a  merchant 
or  an  abbe  or  an  engineer.  Rousseau  says: 
"  The  result  of  his  observations  was  that,  not- 
withstanding the  animation  of  my  countenance 
and  promising  exterior,  I  was,  if  not  absolutely 
silly,  at  least  a  lad  of  very  little  sense  and 
wholly  lacking  original  ideas  or  learning." 

Later  M.  d'Aubonne  lost  his  position  through 
having  paid  too  violent  attention  to  the  wife 
of  the  intendant,  and  out  of  revenge  he  wrote 
a  comedy  which  he  sent  to  Madame  de  Warens. 
11  Let  us  see  if  I  am  as  stupid  as  M.  d'Aubonne 
insists  I  am,"  cried  Rousseau.  "  I  am  going  to 
make  a  play  like  his." 

He  did  so.  It  was  entitled,  "  Narcisse  on 
1 'Amour  de  Lui-meme."  Eighteen  years  later 
he  had  it  played  at  Paris  but  it  fell  flat.  Rous- 
seau left  the  theatre,  went  to  the  Cafe  Procope, 


The  City  of  Rousseau  and  Calvin   243 

the  rendezvous  of  all  the  wits,  and  ex- 
claimed :  —  "  The  new  piece  has  failed ;  it  de- 
served to  fail ;  it  bored  me ;  it  is  by  Rousseau 
of  Geneva  and  I  am  Rousseau." 

Perhaps,  after  all,  the  most  comical  epi- 
sode in  Rousseau's  life  took  place  in  Lausanne. 

It  was  in  1732.  He  had  been  on  a  trip  to 
Fribourg,  on  foot,  for  he  was  fond  of  walking, 
even  when  he  was  so  troubled  with  corns  that 
he  had  to  step  on  his  heels.  Instead  of  return- 
ing by  way  of  Nyon  he  proceeded  along  the 
north  shore,  wishing  to  revel  in  the  view  of  the 
lake,  which  is  seen  in  its  greatest  extent  at 
Lausanne.  Then  the  brilliant  idea  seized  him 
to  pass  himself  off  for  a  music-teacher,  just  as 
his  friend  Venture  had  done  on  arriving  at 
Annecy.  He  describes  the  adventure  at  some 
length  in  his  memoirs  as  follows :  — 

"  I  became  so  much  excited  with  this  idea 
that,  without  thinking  that  I  had  neither  his 
grace  nor  his  talents,  I  took  it  into  my  head  to 
play  at  Lausanne  the  part  of  a  little  Venture, 
to  teach  music,  which  I  did  not  know  how  to  do, 
and  to  say  that  I  was  from  Paris,  where  I  had 
never  been.  ...  I  endeavoured  to  approach 
as  near  as  possible  to  my  great  model.  He 
called  himself  Venture  de  Villeneuve ;  I  by  an 
anagram  converted  the  name  of  Rousseau  into 


244  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

that  of  Vaussore,  and  I  called  myself  Vaussore 
de  Villeneuve.  Venture  understood  composi- 
tion, although  he  had  said  nothing  about  it;  I, 
without  understanding  it,  boasted  of  my  knowl- 
edge of  it  to  everybody,  and  although  I  did  not 
know  how  to  note  down  the  simplest  ballad, 
gave  myself  out  as  a  composer.  This  is  not  all. 
Having  been  presented  to  M.  de  Treytorens, 
professor  of  law,  who  was  fond  of  music,  and 
had  concerts  at  his  house,  and  being  anxious 
to  give  him  a  specimen  of  my  talents,  I  set  my- 
self to  composing  a  piece  for  his  concert  with 
as  much  effrontery  as  if  I  had  known  how  to  go 
about  it.  I  had  the  perseverance  to  work  for 
a  fortnight  at  this  precious  composition,  to 
make  a  fair  copy  of  it,  to  write  out  the  different 
parts,  and  to  distribute  them  with  as  much  as- 
surance as  if  it  had  been  a  masterpiece  of  har- 
mony. ' ' 

Imagine  the  discords!  But  his  "  execution- 
ers "  made  him  beat  time  to  the  end,  though 
they  could  see  that  sweat-drops  of  agony  were 
pearling  on  his  brow.  That  he  escaped  with 
his  life  is  a  wonder.  I  read  somewhere  that 
the  house  where  this  contretemps  took  place  is 
still  standing,  but  I  could  not  find  any  one  who 
might  point  it  out  to  me.  The  fame  which  he 
thus  won  as  a  composer  and  kapellmeister  did 


The  City  of  Rousseau  and  Calvin  245 

not  bring  him  any  pupils  and  he  went  on  to 
Vevey  of  which  he  says:  — 

"  I  conceived  for  that  town  an  affection 
which  has  followed  me  in  all  my  travels,  and 
caused  me  at  length  to  place  there  the  charac- 
ters of  my  novel.  I  would  gladly  say  to  those 
who  possess  taste  and  sensibility,  Go  to  Vevey, 
visit  the  adjacent  country,  examine  the  locali- 
ties, go  about  upon  the  lake,  and  say  if  nature 
has  not  made  this  beautiful  region  for  a  Julie, 
for  a  Claire,  and  for  a  Saint-Preux ;  but  do  not 
look  for  them  there. ' ' 

Rousseau  returned  to  Geneva  in  1739  to  se- 
cure the  inheritance  which  was  due  him  from 
his  mother's  estate.  The  City  might  have 
gobbled  it  up,  since  he  had  abjured  the  Prot- 
estant religion;  perhaps  it  was  too  small  to 
attract  the  attention  of  the  authorities;  he 
secured  it,  spent  some  of  it  on  books  and  gave 
the  rest  to  Madame  de  Warens.  He  met  his 
father  there,  who  also  was  unmolested,  al- 
though the  judgment  against  him,  from  the 
consequences  of  which  he  had  escaped,  was  still 
on  the  black  book.  Rousseau  intended  to  re- 
turn to  live  in  Geneva.  He  had  become  famous, 
and  when  he  renounced  the  Catholic  faith  he 
was  reinstated  in  his  rights  of  citizenship,  but 
once  more  his  conflict  with  orthodoxy  rendered 


246  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

it  an  unsafe  place  for  him.  There  seemed  to 
be  no  room  for  him  anywhere.  The  peasants 
drove  him  out  of  Neuchatel,  though  Marshal 
Keith,  who  represented  Frederick  the  Great 
there,  made  him  welcome.  Bern  sought  him 
out  in  his  island  home  in  the  Lake  of  Bienne 
to  lay  heavy  hand  upon  him.  He  was  unhappy 
in  England,  and  even  his  last  home  at  Er- 
menonville  witnessed  his  violent  death,  as  it  is 
now  believed  by  some,  at  the  hands  of  the  ig- 
norant and  jealous  Therese. 

Really,  Geneva  has  little  to  show  directly 
connected  with  Rousseau  beyond  the  mislabelled 
place  of  his  birth.  Yet  the  whole  Lake  of 
Geneva  is  redolent  of  his  glory.  Not  far  from 
the  haunts  of  his  youth  lived  Calvin,  who 
would  have  probably  been  as  ready  to  burn 
Rousseau  as  he  was  to  burn  Servetus.  La 
Grand'  Rue  runs  between  the  cathedral  and 
the  University,  and  almost  parallel  is  La  Rue 
Calvin  where  the  great  theocrat  abode.  Of 
course  we  went  there  and  did  our  hommages  to 
the  shades  of  the  departed. 

There  is  a  deal  of  individuality  in  the  names 
of  city  streets  —  that  is,  there  may  be.  One 
would  expect  monotony  of  architecture  in  those 
simply  numbered  or  lettered.  But  Geneva  has 
charming  names,  suggesting  romance,  theology 


The  City  of  Rousseau  and  Calvin  247 

and  history.  If  it  has  its  Rue  des  Eaux  Vives, 
which  might  well  suggest  heaven,  it  has  also 
its  Rue  de  l'Enfer  and  its  Rue  du  Purgatoire. 
Of  course  there  is  a  Rue  Voltaire.  Pleasant 
things  are  suggested  by  the  Rue  du  Mont- 
choisy,  or  that  of  Beaulieu.  But  as  cities 
change,  once  respectable  or  even  fashionable 
thoroughfares  lose  their  vogue  and  even  be- 
come slums. 

From  Calvin's  old  residence  we  went  to  the 
Hotel  de  Ville,  which  has  a  commanding  situ- 
ation. It  was  interesting  not  alone  because  of 
its  elegant  Renaissance  architecture,  its  ramp 
whereby  an  equestrian  mayor  might  ride  up  to 
the  third  story  —  it  was  built  between  the  sixth 
and  seventh  decades  of  the  Sixteenth  Century 
—  or  because  of  the  ancient  frescoes  in  the 
Council  Chamber,  but  perhaps  most  of  all,  to 
an  American  or  an  Englishman,  because  in  one 
of  its  rooms  sat  the  epoch-making  commission 
which  settled  for  fifteen  and  a  half  millions, 
awarded  to  the  United  States  the  Alabama 
claims,  and  thus  made  the  longest  stride  since 
the  beginning  of  the  world  toward  the  sensible 
and  feasible  way  of  settling  questions  which 
would  be  likely  to  lead  to  war. 

England  was  represented  by  her  Lord  Chief 
Justice,  Sir  Alexander  James  Edward  Cock- 


248  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

burn,  with  Sir  Eoundel  Palmer  as  counsel ;  the 
United  States  sent  Charles  Francis  Adams 
with  William  M.  Evarts,  Caleb  Cushing  and 
Morrison  R.  Waite;  Switzerland's  arbitrator 
was  her  one-time  president,  Jacob  Stamepfli; 
the  other  two  judges  were  the  Brazilian  Min- 
ister to  France  and  Count  Federigo  Sclopis  of 
Italy,  who  was  the  chairman.  The  arbitrators 
sat  from  December,  1871,  until  September  14, 
1872.  Such  vital  interests  were  at  stake  that 
the  world  almost  held  its  breath ;  for  had  both 
parties  not  honourably  held  by  the  decision  — 
ignoring  the  dissatisfied  extremists  who  would 
have  preferred  to  fight  rather  than  yield  — 
there  would  have  befallen  the  worst  war  of  the 
ages.  Where  such  enormous  financial  interests 
were  at  issue  the  fact  that  a  question  involving 
so  many  untried  questions  of  international  law 
could  be  settled  peaceably  was  a  triumph  of 
civilization.  Sacred  then  for  ever  be  that 
upper  room;  it  should  be  regarded  as  more 
worthy  of  pious  pilgrimage  than  almost  any 
other  spot  in  this  round  world,  for,  if  its  prec- 
edent should  be  carried  out,  it  would  spell  the 
emancipation  of  the  world  from  the  terrible 
incubus  of  militarism,  from  the  needless  crush- 
ing burden  of  enormous  armies  and  wasteful 
navies. 


The  City  of  Rousseau  and  Calvin  249 

From  the  City  Hall  we  proceeded  to  the 
University.  We  were  fortunate  enough  to  fall 
in  with  a  genial  professor  who,  as  soon  as  he 
learned  that  we  were  Americans,  not  only  took 
the  greatest  pains  to  point  out  to  us  all  the 
notable  buildings  but  also  told  us  a  good  deal 
about  the  history  of  the  institution. 

It  seems  that  as  far  back  as  the  middle  of 
the  Fourteenth  Century  the  Emperor  Charles 
IV  proposed  to  found  a  university,  but  other 
affairs  choked  the  good  seed.  The  idea  was 
revived  by  Cardinal  Jean  de  Brogny,  Bishop 
of  Geneva,  who  died  in  1462.  Two  years  after 
his  death  the  Conseil  General  passed  an  order 
for  establishing  a  public  school  on  the  Place 
below  the  Monastery  of  the  Freres  Mineurs  de 
Eive.  There  happened  to  be  living  at  that  time 
a  rich  and  generous  old  merchant  of  a  noble 
family,  named  Francois  de  Versonnex.  He  had 
already  founded  two  hospitals,  but  the  plan  of 
a  public  school  appealed  to  him,  and,  in  Janu- 
ary, 1429,  he  built  an  edifice  ninety-four  feet 
long  and  thirty-four  feet  wide,  near  the  church 
of  those  Freres  Mineurs  and  presented  it  to 
the  city.  Instructions  in  grammar,  logic,  rhet- 
oric and  the  other  liberal  arts  —  philosophy, 
arithmetic,  geometry,  astronomy  and  music  — 
was  to  be  gratuitous:    his  only  condition  was 


250  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

that  the  pupils  should  every  morning  kneel 
before  the  altar  and  repeat  an  Ave  Maria  and 
a  Pater  Noster  for  the  repose  of  the  donor's 
soul. 

This  became  known  as  the  "  Grande  Es- 
chole."  It  had  an  ample  garden,  stretching 
down  to  the  lake,  with  plenty  of  room  for  the 
boys  to  play.  After  more  than  a  century,  in 
spite  of  repairs,  it  became  uninhabitable,  and 
in  1535,  the  year  before  Bonivard  returned  to 
Geneva,  the  Council  ordered  the  school  to  be 
removed  to  the  Couvent  des  Cordeliers  de 
Rive  (now  commemorated  in  the  Rue  des  Cor- 
deliers), a  building  which  since  the  Thirteenth 
Century  had  occupied  a  site  on  the  shore.  It 
was  torn  down  in  1769  to  make  room  for  a 
granary. 

There  must  have  been  much  cultivation  in 
those  days  in  Geneva.  Bonivard  speaks  about 
the  learned  men  he  knew  personally  or  by  repu- 
tation. He,  himself,  was  versed  in  Latin, 
Italian  and  German.  He  was  the  founder  of 
the  University  Library,  which  now  contains 
more  than  one  hundred  thousand  books  and 
fifteen  hundred  or  more  manuscripts.  Under 
Antoine  Saulnier  or  Sonier,  who  was  appointed 
to  direct  the  school  in  1536,  at  a  salary  of  one 
hundred  ecus  d'or  sol,  equivalent  to  four  hun- 


The  City  of  Rousseau  and  Calvin  251 

dred  and  forty  florins,  it  made  rapid  progress 
and  began  to  attract  pupils  from  abroad.  But 
Sonier  was  Calvin's  appointee  and  Calvin's 
enemies  were  then  in  power;  about  that  time 
they  succeeded  in  banishing  both  Calvin  and 
Farel,  and  they  robbed  Sonier  of  his  two  best 
assistants.  Then  Sonier  summoned  the  famous 
Mathurin  Cordier  of  Bordeaux,  the  author  of 
a  Latin  book  still  in  use.  The  Council  went  on 
heckling  Sonier  and  he  resigned  and  went  to 
Lausanne.  He  helped  found  the  University 
there. 

Of  course  the  school  then  degenerated. 
Some  of  the  masters  whipped  children  so 
brutally  that  it  drew  blood.  When  Calvin  was 
recalled  and  again  took  command,  he  engaged 
Sebastien  Chatillon  of  Nantua,  an  elegant 
Latinist  and  possessed  also  of  Greek  and  He- 
brew, but  soon  quarrelled  with  him,  causing 
him  to  resign.  Chatillon  afterwards  taught 
Latin  at  Bale  but  almost  starved  there. 

In  1550,  Calvin  discovered  Louis  Enoch  of 
Issoudun,  in  Berri.  He  was  Regent  for  seven 
years.  He  was  made  a  bourgeois  and  installed 
as  a  minister.  When  the  school  was  reorgan- 
ized as  a  college  in  1559  he  became  its  Regent. 
The  buildings  were  deathly,  however,  and 
even  Enoch  could  not  live  in  them.     Finally, 


252  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

when  the  Perrinists,  Calvin's  bitterest  enemies, 
were  defeated,  he  saw  his  chance.  At  the  top 
of  the  Rue  Verdaine  was  the  Hospital  of  the 
Bourg-de-Four,  which  as  the  domus  hospitalis 
de  foro  veteri  had  been  founded  in  the  Thir- 
teenth Century  by  a  member  of  an  ancient  and 
noble  family.  Attached  to  it  was  a  garden. 
Above  the  Hospital  on  the  hill  rising  steeply 
from  Rive  to  Saint-Antoine  there  were  what 
were  called  Hutins  Bolomier,  —  or  hillocks,  — 
on  which  the  vines  were  cultivated.  This  was  to 
be  the  new  site.  But  just  then  war  broke  out 
between  France  and  Spain.  Geneva  was  in  a 
panic,  expecting  to  be  attacked,  because  Philippe 
II  had  vowed  that  he  would  exterminate  the 
heretics.  Public  prayers  were  offered  and  the 
citizens  were  encouraged  to  defend  themselves 
to  the  last  gasp.  Bern,  which  had  been  unwill- 
ing to  renew  its  alliance  with  Geneva  at  this 
common  danger,  hastened  to  join  forces. 
Geneva  was  safe. 

In  1558,  at  Calvin's  demand,  a  commission 
was  empowered  to  study  the  question,  and, 
after  due  deliberation,  it  was  decided  to  make 
the  change.  The  preliminary  work  consisted 
in  reducing  the  height  of  the  hill.  The  soil  was 
carted  down  to  the  Pre  de  Rive.  But  to  get  the 
buildings  finished  was  a  heart-breaking  under- 


The  City  of  Rousseau  and  Calvin  253 

taking.  There  were  all  kinds  of  delays.  They 
even  had  a  strike  among  the  workmen :  the  car- 
penters demanded  eight  sous  a  day!  But  the 
Council  refused  to  grant  the  increase,  which 
they  considered  exorbitant,  since  victuals  were 
cheap.  There  was  lack  of  money.  In  1559  the 
Republic  had  a  revenue  all  told  of  only  two  hun- 
dred thousand  florins.  They  decided  that  the 
product  of  all  fines  should  be  handed  over  to  the 
College.  A  woman  convicted  of  faux  aunage 
(probably  in  measuring  cloth  of  her  weaving) 
was  obliged  to  pay  twenty-five  crowns.  The 
venerable  former  syndic  Phillipin  for  having 
spoken  evil  of  the  Seigneurie  had  to  pay  twenty- 
five  crowns.  Jean  Roche,  for  having  printed  at 
Lyon  Calvin's  Institution  contrary  to  the  priv- 
ileges granted  to  Antoine  Calvin,  was  fined  a 
hundred  crowns.  People  were  urged  to  remem- 
ber the  institution  in  their  wills.  In  1561  the 
Council  by  an  act  of  heroic  renunciation  re- 
solved to  forego  the  annual  banquet  and  devote 
to  the  fund  the  hundred  florins  it  would  cost. 
Just  as  happens  now,  materials  were  not  forth- 
coming on  time.  One  day  tiles  were  lacking 
and  there  was  great  danger  that  the  rains 
would  come  before  the  roof  was  covered.  But 
it  was  finished  in  1562,  and  four  years  later  a 
fountain  was  installed  as  much  to  embellish 


254  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

the  College  as  to  furnish  drinking-water.  In 
1569  elms  and  linden-trees  were  set  out  to 
shade  the  grounds. 

The  two  big  buildings,  arranged  as  it  was 
called  a  la  mode  de  potence,  that  is  at  right 
angles,  and  surmounted  by  a  big  roof,  all  in 
Italian  Renaissance  style  of  architecture,  were 
the  pride  of  the  City,  and  still  not  much  changed 
reflect  credit  on  the  old  Reformers. 

Our  friend  the  professor  took  us  to  the  front 
of  the  main  building  and  pointed  out  to  us  the 
peristyle  colonnade,  with  its  three  massive  pil- 
lars supporting  the  four  arches  in  pure  Roman 
style,  and  he  called  our  attention  to  the  ancient 
inscriptions  over  the  principal  entrance:  the 
first  in  Hebrew,  which  he  said  meant  "  The 
Fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  Beginning  of  Wis- 
dom; "  the  second  in  Greek,  which  I  could  al- 
most make  out  myself  though  the  letters  were 
queer:  — "  Christ  has  become  for  us  Wisdom 
by  the  Will  of  the  Father;  "  the  third  inde- 
cipherable, but  he  said  that  it  read  originally 
"  For  the  Wisdom  that  comes  from  on  high  is 
pure,  peaceable  and  full  of  mercy." 

He  showed  us  the  external  stairway  leading 
to  what  was  formerly  the  rooms  of  the  prin- 
cipal and-  of  some  of  the  professors,  and  the 
admirable    balustrade    of   wrought    iron,    and 


The  City  of  Rousseau  and  Calvin  255 

pointed  with  pardonable  pride  to  the  bas  relief 
in  yellow  marble  over  the  first  floor  door.  He 
said  it  was  attributed  to  the  famous  French 
sculptor  Jean  Goujon,  who  belonged  to  the  Re- 
formed Church  and  was  in  Geneva  in  1560.  It 
represents  two  winged  women,  one  the  Genius 
of  Study,  the  other  the  Genius  of  War  and  be- 
tween them  the  escutcheon  of  the  City.  During 
the  French  occupation  it  was  mutilated,  but  the 
eagle  and  the  key  can  be  made  out. 

The  professor  took  us  up  to  the  second  floor 
of  the  main  building,  which  offers  a  superb  view 
of  the  lake,  the  Jura  with  their  rock-ribbed 
summits,  the  snowy  Alps  of  Savoy.  In  those 
days  they  did  not  much  believe  in  light,  phys- 
ically or  theologically;  the  windows  are  small 
and  the  big  rooms  seemed  rather  gloomy.  He 
told  us  that  at  first  the  City  was  too  poor  or  too 
penurious  to  furnish  glass  for  them,  and  when 
the  students  petitioned  for  glass  they  were 
recommended  to  fit  them  out  themselves  with 
oiled  paper  panes.  Neither  was  there  any  way 
of  heating  them,  and  the  professors  had  to 
bring  braziers  filled  with  hot  coals  to  melt  out 
their  lectures.  Finally  a  violent  bise  came 
down  the  lake  and  blew  the  rooms  inside  out; 
it  did  so  much  damage  that  the  Council,  in  self- 
defence,  ordered  glass  put  in. 


256  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

The  Seigneurie  gratuitously  lodged  not  only 
the  professors  and  pastors  but  also  such  needy 
citizens  as  had  been  of  public  service.  In  1561 
Francois  Bonivard  petitioned  to  be  granted 
quarters  in  the  city  logis  where  he  might  have 
a  stove,  and  his  petition  was  allowed.  Then, 
as  now  (in  other  lands  more  particularly),  self- 
defence  was  an  expensive  luxury.  The  erec- 
tion, maintenance  and  strengthening  of  the  city 
walls  cost  enormously,  and  the  Council  pro- 
posed to  sell  the  houses  of  the  Regents,  but  vio- 
lent opposition  arose  and  they  were  maintained 
until  the  beginning  of  the  Nineteenth  Century. 
Then  the  ramshackly  old  buildings  were  sold 
and  the  fine  houses  on  the  Rue  Verdaine  were 
built.  The  gardens  were  alienated  in  1725  for 
twenty-five  thousand  florins;  the  purchaser 
agreeing  not  to  erect  any  high  building  that 
would  cut  off  the  fine  view.  They  at  least  ap- 
preciated their  greatest  asset.  The  purchaser 
was  Jean  Gallatin,  whose  house  is  still  shown 
at  Number  Seven. 

I  was,  of  course,  interested  in  the  name  Gal- 
latin, for  I  remembered  how  Albert  Gallatin, 
a  graduate  of  Geneva  University,  came  to 
America  and  taught  French  at  Harvard  Col- 
lege, and  then  entering  politics,  was  elected 
Senator,  though  he  was  excluded ;  became  Sec- 


The  City  of  Rousseau  and  Calvin  257 

retary  of  the  Treasury  and  signed  the  Treaty 
of  Ghent  and  was  United  States  Minister  first 
at  Paris  and  then  at  London.  Several  towns 
in  our  country  were  named  after  him. 

When  the  professors'  houses  were  taken 
from  them,  they  were  granted  three  ecus  d'or 
extra  salary. 

The  so-called  Ordre  du  College  —  a  term  still 
in  use  —  was  worked  out  by  Calvin  himself,  who 
would  not  have  disdained  regulating  the  size  of 
mouse-traps.  Fortunately  he  had  associated 
with  him  the  gentle,  benevolent  Theodore  de 
Beze,  who  was  the  oil  to  the  vinegar  of  Calvin's 
stern,  uncompromising  wisdom.  Calvin  wrote 
it  in  Latin;  De  Beze  in  French.  It  is  a  docu- 
ment well  worthy  of  study  by  all  educators. 

It  was  promulgated  on  the  fifth  of  June,  1559, 
with  impressive  ceremonies.  The  venerable 
Company  of  Pastors,  the  Regents,  the  profes- 
sors and  a  body  of  six  hundred  students,  to- 
gether with  an  immense  throng  of  citizens,  went 
to  the  cathedral  where  Calvin  made  an  im- 
mensely long  supplication.  Then  the  secretary 
of  the  Council,  Michel  Roset,  read  the  docu- 
ment. De  Beze,  appointed  rector  of  the  Acad- 
emy and  principal  of  the  College,  made  an 
impressive  "  harangue  "  in  Latin,  dwelling  on 
the  usefulness   of  schools   and   of  "  superior 


258  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

wisdom  "  and  ending  by  thanking  the  Council 
for  having  permitted  Geneva  to  receive  in- 
struction purged  of  all  Papal  superstitions. 
De  Beze  having  thanked  the  Council,  Calvin 
thanked  God  for  the  same  blessings.  The  next 
day  the  regular  exercises  of  the  new  curriculum 
began.  They  were  kept  up  without  essential 
change  for  three  centuries.  The  chief  function 
of  the  College  was  practically  the  same  as  that 
of  the  primitive  Harvard  —  to  provide  minis- 
ters :  my  nephew  declared  it  was  a  ' '  regular 
parson-factory." 

During  Calvin's  life  no  theatrical  representa- 
tions were  allowed;  but  just  forty  years  after 
his  death,  in  1604,  some  of  the  students  of 
one  of  the  professors  with  his  authorization 
learned  a  comedy  by  Gamier  and  proposed  to 
enact  it  before  a  select  company  of  guests. 
When  the  authorities  heard  of  it  they  were  in 
a  panic  and  hastened  to  forbid  it  "  for  fear  the 
students  might  take  occasion  for  debauchery 
and  waste  time  and  lessons."  In  1681  "  The 
Cid  "  was  presented  with  scenery  at  the  house 
of  M.  Perdriau.  The  performance  ended  with 
a  farce.  About  three  hundred  spectators  were 
present.  Several  students  took  part.  It  caused 
a  terrible  scandal.  It  was  declared  that  if  such 
a  thing  happened  again  the  culprits  should  be 


The  City  of  Rousseau  and  Calvin  259 

whipped.  They  had  the  means  to  inflict  this 
punishment.  Discipline  in  those  days  was  se- 
vere. The  Regents  were  ordered  to  provide 
themselves  with  a  sort  of  cat-o '-nine-tails,  and 
they  used  it  sometimes  brutally.  In  1676  a 
Sieur  de  Rochemont  ordered  his  valet  to  thrash 
one  of  the  Regents  for  having  too  severely 
punished  his  nephew.  The  valet  carried  out  his 
orders  with  good  will  but  was  haled  into  court 
and  condemned  to  languish  in  jail  for  a  week, 
while  his  master,  in  spite  of  his  rank,  was  pun- 
ished even  more  severely  —  he  was  sent  to  jail 
for  three  weeks  and  had  to  pay  a  fine  of  two 
hundred  crowns,  after  having  begged  pardon 
on  his  knees. 

The  University  of  Geneva,  as  at  present  con- 
stituted, is  the  outgrowth  of  that  remarkable 
school.  Its  modern  regeneration  began  in  1886. 
Many  new  buildings  have  been  erected.  It 
would  take  pages  to  give  the  names  of  the  cele- 
brated professors  who  have  from  the  begin- 
ning helped  to  spread  its  fame  and  have  at- 
tracted students  from  all  over  the  world,  espe- 
cially from  Russia.  Out  of  the  twelve  hundred 
or  more  students  registered  a  large  proportion 
come  from  the  empire  of  the  Tsars.  The  insti- 
tution is  divided  into  a  College  inferieur  and  a 
College  superieur,  the  latter  having  four  de- 


260  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

partments:    the  classic,  the  real,  the  technical 
and  the  pedagogical. 

We  went  with  our  guide  into  the  Library, 
which,  of  course,  we  could  only  glance  at;  but 
later,  when  I  spent  a  fortnight  in  Geneva,  I 
found  it  most  useful.  We  went  to  the  Salle 
Lutin  and  looked  at  the  fine  portraits  of  Geneva 
celebrities,  including  those  of  many  distin- 
guished visitors,  notably  George  Eliot's. 
Here  are  also  many  fascinating  manuscripts 
and  books  which  would  fill  the  heart  of  a  biblio- 
phile with  hopeless  envy.  I  had  just  time  to 
look  at  the  curious  old  map  made  in  1588  by  a 
Genevan  magistrate,  the  noble  Duvillard,  who 
was  wounded  in  a  battle  and  during  his  conva- 
lescence amused  himself  in  tracing  on  paper 
1 '  ce  beau  lac  genevois, ' '  to  which  he  said  Chris- 
tians flock  without  cessation :  — 

"  Pour  louer  Dieu,  maugre  princes  et  rois, 
Plumes,  pinceaux,  couleurs  en  tous  entroits 
J'ai  fait  passer  par  villes  et  chateaux, 
Villages,  bourgs,  par  montagnes  et  bois, 
Par  champs  et  pres  et  vignobles  si  beaux 
Rochers,  forets,  rivieres  et  ruisseaux." 

But  the  morning  was  passing,  and  we  had  to 
tear  ourselves  away.  We  had  not  intended  to 
go  into  any  of  the  public  buildings  of  Geneva, 


The  City  of  Rousseau  and  Calvin  261 

tempting  as  they  might  be,  but  to  walk  across 
the  Treille,  along  the  Promenade  des  Bastions 
and  then  take  a  tram  for  the  Saleve,  from 
which,  on  such  a  clear  day,  the  view  would  have 
been  superb.  But  it  was  too  late;  we  had  to 
hurry  back  to  the  hotel  for  an  early  lunch  and 
then  continue  our  journey  around  the  lake. 

As  we  went  back  I  registered  a  vow  to  spend 
at  least  a  fortnight  in  Geneva,  and  I  am  happy 
to  say  it  was  not  a  vow  in  vain.  I  came  to  know 
and  love  the  fine  old  town  with  its  splendid  edu- 
cational advantages,  its  museums  and  libraries, 
its  fascinating  parks  and  its  wealth  of  glorious 
walks.  More  than  once  as  we  went  down 
toward  the  lake  I  turned  around  to  look  at  the 
bold  escarpments  of  the  limestone  cliff  against 
which  the  twin  towers  and  the  tall  spire  of  the 
Cathedral  stood  out  so  proudly. 

I  went  one  day  to  the  Voirons  and  had  per- 
haps the  same  view  as  James  Fenimore  Cooper 
enjoyed  so  much,  when  on  his  journey  south- 
ward he  suddenly  emerged  on  their  heights 
and  got  his  first  glimpse  of  Geneva  and  the 
lake  and  all  those  parts  of  Vaud  that  lie  be- 
tween Geneva  and  the  Dole.  Of  course,  Geneva 
nearly  eighty  years  ago  was  much  smaller  than 
it  is  now.  He  describes  it  with  enthusiasm, 
and  his  picture  still  glows  with  colour :  — 


262  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

"  A  more  ravishing  view  than  that  we  now 
beheld  can  scarcely  be  imagined.  Nearly  the 
whole  of  the  lake  was  visible.  The  north  shore 
was  studded  with  towns,  towers,  castles  and 
villages  for  the  distance  of  thirty  miles;  the 
rampart  —  resembling  rocks  of  Savoy  —  rose 
for  three  or  four  thousand  feet,  like  walls 
above  the  water,  and  solitary  villages  were 
built  against  their  bases  in  spots  where  there 
scarcely  appeared  room  to  place  a  human  foot. 
The  solemn  magnificent  gorge  rather  than 
valley  of  the  Rhone  and  the  river,  glittering 
like  silver  among  its  meadows,  were  in  the  dis- 
tant front,  while  the  immediate  foreground 
was  composed  of  a  shore  which  also  had  its 
wall  of  rocks,  its  towns  laved  by  the  water,  its 
castles,  its  hamlets  half  concealed  in  fruit- 
trees,  and  its  broad  mountain  bosom  thrown 
carelessly  into  terraces,  to  the  elevation  of  two 
thousand  feet  on  which  reposed  nearly  every 
object  of  rural  art  that  can  adorn  a  pic- 
ture. .  .  . 

"  The  beauty  of  the  panorama  was  singu- 
larly heightened  by  the  presence  of  some  thirty 
or  forty  large  barks  with  lateen  sails,  a  rig 
particularly  Italian,  and  which,  to  my  eye,  was 
redolent  of  the  Mediterranean,  a  sea  I  had  not 
beheld  for  twenty  years.    They  were  lying  la- 


The  City  of  Rousseau  and  Calvin  263 

zily  on  the  glassy  lake  as  if  placed  there  by; 
Claude  himself  to  serve  as  models. 

"  I  shall  not  affirm  that  this  was  the  finest 
view  we  had  yet  seen  in  Switzerland,  but  I  do 
think  it  was  the  most  exquisite.  It  was  Goethe 
compared  to  Schiller,  Milton  to  Shakespeare, 
Racine  to  Corneille." 

Just  about  two  centuries  earlier  Auguste  de 
Sales  in  the  life  of  his  uncle  Saint  Francis, 
showed  that  he  too  loved  the  same  view.  Here 
is  his  picture,  dated  1632 :  — 

1 '  Voiron  is  a  very  high  mountain  separating 
Le  Chablais  from  Le  Faucigny,  looking  east 
from  Geneva.  Toward  the  north  the  view  em- 
braces the  great  Lake  Leman,  and  almost  all 
the  mountains  of  Burgundy  and  those  of  Swit- 
zerland in  the  distance  distinguished  by  blue 
shadows.  Nearer  are  the  cities  and  lands  of 
Geneva  and  Bern,  an  infinity  of  villages, 
churches,  castles,  rivers,  ponds,  forests, 
meadows,  vineyards,  hills,  roads,  and  the  like 
in  such  variety  that  the  eye  receives  from  it 
a  wonderful  recreation  and  nothing  in  the 
world  can  be  seen  more  beautiful.  Toward  the 
south  one  sees  with  a  sudden  horror  the  moun- 
tains of  Le  Faucigny  and  at  their  extremity 
the  haughty  summits  (cimes  sourcilleuses)  of 
Champmuni,  covered  with  eternal  ice  and  snow, 


264  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

so  that  the  eye  of  him  who  looks  now  one  way 
now  another,  receives  an  unequalled  satisfac- 
tion." 

I  shall  never  forget  the  first  expedition  that 
I  made  to  Les  Treize  Arbres  and  the  Cret  de 
Grange  Tournier,  the  highest  point  of  the  Sa- 
leve,  with  their  superb  view  up  the  lake  and  far 
into  the  valley  of  the  Rhone.  Yet  the  Saleve 
is  not  a  part  of  Geneva;  it  is  not  even  Swiss; 
it  belongs  to  France.  If  Switzerland  and 
Savoy  should  at  the  present  time  have  a  war 
it  would  be  easy  enough  for  big  guns  to  be 
mounted  on  those  heights  and  batter  down  the 
helpless  city;  compared  with  what  war  is  now 
the  most  dramatic  event  in  Genevan  history 
seems  rather  ludicrous;  but  the  Fountain  of 
the  Escalade  commemorates  an  heroic  achieve- 
ment. 

Quietly  around  the  city  were  gathering  the 
hostile  armies.  Duke  Charles  Emmanuel  of 
Savoy  was  planning  to  strike  a  final  blow;  he 
had  more  than  six  thousand  men  —  Savoyards, 
Spaniards,  Neapolitans  and  Piedmontese  — 
collected  in  various  places  within  convenient 
distance.  On  the  night  of  December  12,  1602,  a 
storming  party  of  two  hundred  men  marched 
up  to  the  Corraterie  rampart  carrying  fagots, 
hurdles,  ladders,  and  implements  for  breaking 


The  City  of  Rousseau  and  Calvin  265 

and  smashing  things.  Each  man  also  had  an 
amulet  warranted  to  keep  him  from  trouble  in 
this  world  or  the  world  to  come ;  it  was  given  to 
each  one  by  a  Scotch  Jesuit  named  Father 
Alexander.  They  filled  the  moat  with  their 
hurdles  and  fagots;  they  fastened  their  lad- 
ders to  the  walls.  They  killed  the  one  sentinel 
on  guard,  for  the  Genevans  had  no  thought  of 
such  a  treacherous  attack  upon  them,  and 
they  annihilated  a  small  body  of  the  watch, 
all  except  one  man,  a  drummer,  who  es- 
caped and  gave  the  alarm.  The  battle  was 
on. 

The  Genevans  at  La  Porte  Neuve  happened 
to  fire  off  a  gun  loaded  with  chains  and  iron 
scrap;  the  discharge  smashed  all  the  scaling 
ladders  and  swept  them  off  the  walls;  the 
army  of  four  thousand  men  led  by  General 
d'Albigni,  who  was  expecting  to  follow  up  the 
success  of  the  two  hundred,  was  helpless  in  the 
moat  outside.  All  able-bodied  citizens  got  out 
their  guns  and  swords  and  gave  battle.  Hot 
soup  and  other  scalding  fluids  and  a  rain  of 
deadly  missiles  were  flung  down  on  the  unhappy 
invaders,  who  finally  fled,  leaving  thirteen 
prisoners  and  a  large  number  of  dead.  The 
Genevans  themselves  had  seventeen  killed  and 
a  score  wounded.    Duke  Charles  Emmanuel  is 


266  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

said  to  have  called  his  defeated  general  a  booby 
(miserable  butor)  and  expressed  himself  in 
somewhat  the  same  kind  of  vulgar  language  as 
Victor  Hugo  attributed  to  Marshal  Ney  in 
u  Les  Miserables." 

Geneva  was  saved,  and  the  next  morning  the 
venerable  Pastor  de  Beze,  who  had  slept  all 
through  the  tumult,  having  learned  of  the  bat- 
tle, went  to  the  cathedral  and  helped  to  con- 
duct a  thanksgiving  service  —  the  last  public 
appearance  which  his  failing  health  permitted 
him  to  make.  And  ever  since  the  Genevans 
celebrate  the  day  of  the  Escalade. 

Rousseau  wrote  of  this  rather  grandilo- 
quently :  —  "  The  generous  nation  received  its 
baptism  of  blood ;  this  night  put  our  ancestors 
beside  the  men  of  Sempach  and  Morgarten; 
they  defended  their  freedom  like  men  who 
could  not  understand  how  life  could  be  sepa- 
rated from  liberty." 

That  very  year  the  Landgrave  of  Hesse  was 
visiting  Geneva  incognito  and  he  composed  a 
Latin  epigram  beginning :  — 

"  Quisquis  amat  vitam  sobriam  castamque  tueri," 

which  has  been  Englished  in  the  quaint  old 
style  of  long  ago :  — 


The  City  of  Rousseau  and  Calvin   2G7 

"  A  strict  and  sober  life  if  you'd  embrace 
Let  chast  Geneva  be  your  dwelling-place ; 
Or  would  you  lead  a  lawless  life  and  free 
The  same  Geneva  your  abode  must  be. 
Convenience  here  for  either  life  is  found  — 
The  Air,  Land,  Water  and  Religion  sound!  " 

One  more  attempt  was  made  to  capture 
Geneva.  On  September  21,  1792,  without  any 
declaration  of  war,  the  French  entered  Savoy, 
seized  Mont-Melian  and  Chambery  and  overran 
the  whole  duchy  with  the  result  that  it  was 
incorporated  with  France  as  the  Departement 
du  Mont  Blanc.  Etienne  Claviere,  banished 
from  Geneva  in  1784  because  of  his  writings, 
had  become  one  of  the  six  Ministers  of  the 
French  Eepublic,  and  being  full  of  animosity 
against  Geneva  urged  his  colleagues  to  attack 
that  city.  Orders  to  that  effect  were  issued  by 
Servan,  Minister  of  "War.  Geneva  appealed  to 
Zurich  and  Bern  for  aid  and  prepared  for  de- 
fence. But  no  attack  was  made.  Claviere  com- 
mitted suicide  the  following  year. 

Gibbon  wrote  to  Lord  Sheffield :  —  "  The 
terrors  which  might  have  driven  me  from  hence 
have  in  great  measure  subsided.  Our  State 
prisoners  are  forgot ;  the  country  begins  to  re- 
cover its  old  good  humor  and  unsuspecting  con- 
fidence and  the  last  revolution  of  Paris  appears 


268  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

to  have  convinced  almost  everybody  of  the  fatal 
consequences  of  the  Democratical  principles, 
which  lead  by  a  path  of  flowers  into  the  abyss 
of  Hell."  After  Savoy  became  a  part  of 
France  Gibbon  wrote :  — i '  My  noble  scenery 
is  clouded  by  the  Democratical  aspect  of  twelve 
leagues  of  the  opposite  coast  which  every  morn- 
ing obtrude  themselves  on  my  view."  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1793,  he  wrote  again :  —  "  The  new  Con- 
stitution of  Geneva  is  slowly  forming  without 
much  noise  or  any  bloodshed  and  the  Patriots 
who  have  staid  in  hopes  of  guiding  and  re- 
straining the  multitude  flatter  themselves  that 
they  shall  be  able  at  least  to  prevent  their  mad 
countrymen  from  giving  themselves  to  France, 
the  only  mischief  that  would  be  absolutely  ir- 
retrievable." 

He  predicted  that  the  Emperor  and  the 
French  would  compound  for  the  neutrality  of 
the  Swiss.  His  prediction  was  very  nearly  ful- 
filled. But  the  penchant  of  the  Genevans  for 
France  may  possibly  be  explained  by  the  fact 
that  it  is  so  Parisian  in  its  modern  brightness 
and  gayety.    That  is  why  I  like  it. 


CHAPTER   XV 

FAMOUS    FOLK 

MMEDIATELY  after  luncheon  we  re- 
embarked  in  the  swift  Hirondelle, 
which  was  impatiently  waiting  for  us, 
and  started  Lausanneward.  As  in 
our  trip  down,  we  hugged  the  shore.  High  up 
on  the  hillside  we  saw  the  Musee  Ariana  in  its 
beautiful  park.  Later  we  visited  it  and  saw  its 
pictures,  its  antiquities,  —  especially  interest- 
ing the  old  Genevan  pewter-ware,  furniture, 
weapons  and  stained  glass  and  its  still  more 
ancient  relics  of  the  Alemanni ;  nor  did  we  for- 
get the  Alpine  Garden  and  other  curiosities  of 
the  Botanical  Park.  This  is  situated  directly 
on  the  Lausanne  highway. 

High  up  also,  and  affording  a  magnificent 
view,  stands  the  Chateau  Rothschild  domina- 
ting Pregny.  Then  we  rushed  by  Genthod,  the 
home  of  Switzerland's  most  famous  scientists. 
There  was  a  regular  nest  of  them  there.  Birds 
of  a  feather!  not  the  least  of  them  being  the 
zoologist    FranQois   Jules    Pictet  de    la    Rive. 

269 


270  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

I  wondered  what  Raoul  Pictet,  who  did  good 
work  in  liquefying  gases,  would  think  of  the 
latest  developments  in  the  use  of  liquid  air.  A 
professor  whom  I  met  in  Lausanne  informed 
me  that  it  now  cost  only  a  half-cent  a  pound.  As 
it  is  composed  of  two  liquids,  nitrogen  and  oxy- 
gen, which  boil  at  different  temperatures,  it  is 
easy  to  eliminate  the  nitrogen  and  leave  pure 
oxygen,  which,  of  course,  is  invaluable  in  foun- 
dries to  stimulate  a  high  temperature. 

The  possibility  that  the  enormous  drafts  on 
the  nitrogen  of  the  atmosphere  for  manufac- 
turing nitrates,  and  which  have  made  some 
people  conjecture  that  we  might  ultimately 
became  so  excitable  through  the  preponderance 
of  oxygen,  need  no  longer  bother  us.  The  nitro- 
gen will  go  into  nitrates  all  right  but  the  bal- 
ance will  be  kept  even  by  the  withdrawal  of 
oxygen  for  blast-furnaces,  and  all  we  need  fear 
is  that  there  won't  be  any  air  left.  But  let  us 
not  worry;  apres  nous  le  vide!  The  Swiss  tor- 
rents offer  many  chances  for  the  electrical  man- 
ufacture of  these  liquid  gases  at  small  expense. 

At  Genthod  also  lived  the  De  Saussures. 
Will  suggested  that  from  their  exploits  in 
climbing  mountains  they  should  have  been 
named  the  Snowshoers,  a  slight  change  not 
comparable  with  that  exemplified  in  his  earliest 


Famous  Folk  271 


known  ancestor,  Mongin  Schouel  de  Saulxures, 
Grand  Falconer  to  the  Duke  of  Lorraine! 

"  The  illustrious  "  Horace-Benedict  de  Saus- 
sure's  father  was  an  authority  on  farming  in 
its  scientific  aspects  as  they  were  then  under- 
stood; his  mother  was  the  sister-in-law  of  the 
naturalist  Charles  de  Bonnet,  who,  until  his 
eyesight  failed  him  and  he  had  to  take  to  phil- 
osophical speculations  and  to  controversy  with 
Voltaire,  was  interested  in  studying  parthen- 
ogenesis, the  respiration  of  insects  and  leaves, 
and  kindred  abstruse  subjects.  After  a  truly 
Rousseauesque  education,  whereby  he  was 
trained  to  bear  hardships  and  fatigue  and  all 
unavoidable  inconveniences  without  complain- 
ing, Horace  de  Saussure  became  professor  of 
philosophy  at  Geneva  at  the  age  of  twenty-two. 
Two  years  earlier  he  had  offered  a  prize  to  the 
first  person  who  should  find  a  practicable  route 
to  the  top  of  Mont  Blanc,  though  it  was  then, 
and  for  years  afterwards,  believed  to  be  inac- 
cessible. He  had  been  to  the  peak  of  Le  Bre- 
vent  on  the  other  side  of  the  Valley  of  Cha- 
monix  —  in  itself  no  small  climb  for  those  days 
at  least  —  and  he  looked  across  that  tremen- 
dous chasm  and  up  to  the  forbidding  white 
dome  of  the  monarch  of  mountains,  towering 
almost  twice  as  high,  and  that  intense  ambition 


272  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

to  get  to  the  top  of  the  world  came  over  him. 
He  believed  it  could  be  accomplished. 

For  fifteen  years  no  serious  attempt  was 
made  to  win  the  prize.  Then  four  peasants 
thought  they  might  do  it  in  a  day,  but  dared 
not  spend  the  night  on  the  ice  and  so  they  came 
down.  In  1783  three  chamois  hunters  spent  the 
night  at  the  Montagne  de  la  Cote,  and  the  fol- 
lowing morning  started  up  over  the  icy  slope, 
but  one  of  them  grew  sleepy,  and  as  it  was  re- 
garded as  dangerous  to  sleep  on  ice  and  they 
were  afraid  of  sunstroke  they  also  relinquished 
the  task.  One  of  them  told  De  Saussure  that  if 
he  tried  it  again  all  he  would  take  with  him 
would  be  a  parasol  and  a  bottle  of  smelling 
salts !  In  1787  De  Saussure  caused  a  hut  to  be 
built  near  the  Glacier  of  Bionnassay  and  tried 
to  win  the  prize  for  himself.  But  it  was  too 
late  in  the  season  and  he  had  to  give  it  up. 

The  next  attempt  was  made  in  August,  1788, 
by  Marc-Theodore  Bourrit,  called  "  the  His- 
torian of  the  Alps."  He  was  a  miniature 
painter.  He  was  also  precentor  of  the  Cathedral 
at  Geneva.  There  was  a  tradition  that  it  was 
possible  to  cross  the  Alps  from  Geneva  to  Turin 
in  thirty-eight  hours.  Bourrit  provided  him- 
self with  a  fourteen-foot  ladder,  a  couple  of 
hatchets,  ropes  and  staves,  and  started  with  a 


Famous  Folk 


small  party.  They  had  a  terrible  time  among 
the  crevasses  but  reached  Courmayeur  at  ten 
p.  m.  He  was  the  first  to  discover  the  Col  du 
Geant.  He  believed  Mont  Blanc  to  be  inacces- 
sible. He  tried  it,  however,  a  second  time  with 
his  son,  an  Englishman  named  Woodley  and  a 
Dutchman  named  Kampfer.  They  had  twenty- 
two  guides,  nineteen  of  whom  were  overcome. 
He  claimed  that  he  got  beyond  the  Camel's 
Humps  within  ten  minutes  of  the  top  but  was 
prevented  by  a  hurricane  from  actually  reach- 
ing it.  He  gave  himself  away  by  declaring  that 
he  could  see  the  Mediterranean.  He  would 
have  had  to  see  it  not  only  through  a  snow- 
storm but  also  through  the  top.  It  is  now 
believed  that  he  did  not  get  above  the  Rochers 
Rouges.  M.  Auldjo  traced  the  limitation  of 
vision  by  a  map  and  showed  it  was  impossible 
to  see  the  Mediterranean. 

The  next  year  partisans  of  two  different 
routes  tried  in  rivalry  to  go  up  from  opposite 
sides.  Each  party  was  made  up  of  three  men; 
a  fourth,  named  Jacques  Balmat,  attached  him- 
self to  one  of  them,  and,  when  they  deserted 
him,  he  continued  alone,  and  by  digging  steps 
in  the  ice  along  the  crest  of  the  Rochers  Rouges 
got  within  less  than  three  hundred  meters  of 
the  summit.    He  realized  that  if  he  went  alone 


274  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

no  one  would  believe  him ;  when  he  managed 
to  retrace  his  steps  and  reached  the  Grand 
Plateau  he  was  overcome  by  snow-blindness. 
He  kept  his  eyes  shut  for  half  an  hour  and  his 
sight  returned,  but  it  was  growing  dark.  He 
was  obliged  to  spend  the  night  where  he 
was.  He  burrowed  into  the  snow  and  kept 
alive. 

When  he  reached  Chamonix  the  next  day  he 
was  so  worn  out  that  he  slept  twenty-four  hours 
at  a  stretch.  Then  he  went  to  the  doctor  of 
Chamonix,  Michel  Paccard,  and  told  him  his 
secret.  They  determined  to  try  it.  They 
started  August  8,  1786,  not  together  but  one 
taking  the  right  bank,  the  other  the  left 
bank  of  the  Arve,  so  as  not  to  awaken  suspicion 
of  their  purpose.  They  camped  on  the  Mon- 
tagne  de  la  Cote,  and  the  next  day  attained  Les 
Petits  Mulets,  about  a  hundred  meters  below 
the  tip-top.  Here  they  were  nearly  blown  off 
the  crest  by  a  fierce  gust  of  icy  wind.  The 
doctor  refused  to  take  another  step.  People 
were  watching  them  from  the  village  with  a 
telescope.  Balmat  went  alone  to  the  top,  and 
wigwagged  a  greeting  to  the  villagers,  who  an- 
swered it.  Then  he  went  down  and  got  the 
doctor  by  main  force  to  the  top.  Balmat  had 
practically  to  drag  him  down  to  the  valley ;  the 


Famous  Folk  275 


poor  man  was  completely  blinded  and  half 
frozen  to  death. 

The  next  year  De  Saussure,  with  Balmat  as 
guide,  and  a  large  party,  bearing  scientific  ap- 
paratus, successfully  reached  the  summit  —  the 
professor  dressed  in  a  long-tailed  silk  coat 
with  huge  buttons,  which  is  preserved  as  a 
mute  witness  of  the  achievement  in  the  De 
Saussure  house  at  Genthod.  Balmat  lived  to 
be  an  old  man  and  was  proud  of  the  patent  of 
nobility  which  the  King  of  Sardinia  conferred 
on  him  in  honour  of  his  feat. 

Later,  Dr.  Paccard  forgot  what  Balmat  had 
done  for  him  and  how  generously  he  had 
shared  with  him  the  honour  of  first  conquer- 
ing the  proud  monarch,  and  he  began  to  claim 
all  the  credit  of  the  enterprise.  He  issued  a 
prospectus  of  a  book,  which  should  bring  him 
a  reward  for  his  exertions.  He  promised  to 
give  a  short  history  of  previous  attempts,  an 
account  of  his  own  success,  and  a  description 
of  the  stones  and  rocks,  the  insects,  the  rare 
plants,  as  well  as  his  physical  and  medical 
observations,  and  all  necessary  notions  for 
those  who  might  wish  to  visit  the  glaciers.  The 
subscription  price  was  to  be  six  livres  de 
France  for  copies  on  fine  paper  and  four  livres, 
ten   sols  for  copies  on  ordinary  paper.     He 


276  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

very  cordially  invited  persons  of  a  higher  class 
who  might  desire  to  join  in  giving  the  author 
a  prize  for  this  conquest,  and  they  also  were 
promised  a  share  in  some  of  the  curiosi- 
ties found  on  Mont  Blanc.  He  succeeded  by 
this  means  in  securing  a  number  of  subscri- 
bers. 

De  Saussure  did  not  climb  the  Alpine  moun- 
tains for  sentimental  reasons ;  his  purpose  was 
purely  scientific,  but  occasionally  in  his  wri- 
tings there  are  passages  of  charming  freshness 
and  humanity.  Once  he  camped  out  on  the 
bleak  Col  du  Geant  for  more  than  two  weeks. 
He  thus  describes  the  last  evening :  — 

"  The  sixteenth  and  last  evening  which  we 
spent  on  the  Col  du  Geant  was  ravishingly 
beautiful.  It  seemed  as  if  all  those  lofty  sum- 
mits desired  that  we  should  not  depart  from 
them  without  regret.  The  icy  wind  which  had 
made  the  most  of  the  nights  so  uncomfortable 
did  not  blow.  The  peaks  which  looked  down 
upon  us  and  the  snows  lying  between  them  took 
on  the  most  beautiful  tints  of  rose  and  of  car- 
mine. The  whole  Italian  horizon  seemed  to 
wear  a  zone  and  the  full  moon  came  rising 
above  this  zone  with  queenly  majesty  and 
glowing  with  the  most  exquisite  vermilion.  The 
atmosphere  about  us  had  that  purity  and  that 


Famous  Folk  277 


crystalline  limidity  which  Homer  attributes  to 
that  of  Olympus,  while  the  valleys,  filled  with 
mists  condensing  there,  seemed  the  dwelling- 
place  of  gloomy  shadows. 

"  But  how  shall  I  depict  the  night  that  fol- 
lowed this  lovely  evening,  when  after  the  twi- 
light the  moon,  shining  alone  in  the  sky,  poured 
forth  the  waves  of  her  silvery  light  over  the 
vast  pile  of  snow  and  rock  surrounding  our 
cabin?  What  an  astonishing  and  delicious 
spectacle  under  the  gentle  radiance  of  the  lu- 
minary of  night  was  made  by  those  very  slopes 
of  snow  and  ice  the  sight  of  which  is  unendur- 
able in  the  sunlight.  What  a  magnificent  con- 
trast those  granite  crags,  darkened  and  hewed 
out  with  so  much  precision  and  boldness,  made 
against  these  glittering  snows!  What  a  mo- 
ment for  meditation!  How  many  trials  and 
privations  find  compensation  in  such  moments ! 
The  soul  is  elevated,  the  mind  seems  to  cover 
a  wider  outlook,  and  in  the  midst  of  this  ma- 
jestic silence  you  may  believe  you  hear  the 
voice  of  Nature  and  become  the  secret  witness 
of  her  most  hidden  works." 

De  Saussure's  "  Voyages  dans  les  Alpes  " 
are  still  well  worth  reading.  He  was  ac- 
quainted with  most  of  the  great  men  of  his  day; 
Goethe  sought  him  out  to  ask  his  advice;   the 


278  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

Due  de  La  Rochefoucauld,  explorer  of  glaciers, 
Buffon,  David  Garrick,  Sir  William  Hamilton 
and  dozens  of  others  were  proud  of  his  friend- 
ship. In  a  way,  he  was  the  father  of  modern 
mountain-climbing.  He  crossed  the  Alps  by 
eight  different  passes  and  penetrated  to  parts 
of  the  mountains  never  deemed  accessible  be- 
fore his  day. 

Women  began  quite  early  to  have  aspira- 
tions to  get  to  the  top  of  the  mountain.  In 
August,  1823,  a  Mrs.  Campbell  of  London,  with 
her  daughter,  got  to  the  Col  du  Geant  and  tried 
to  reach  the  summit  but  failed.  In  September, 
1838,  Mile.  Henriette  d'Angeville,  no  longer 
young,  succeeded.  It  was  then  regarded  as  an 
extraordinary  feat.  She  says  she  "  looked  out 
toward  those  superb  mountains  which  lifted 
above  the  plains  and  mediocrities  of  the  earth 
their  brows  adorned  with  an  eternal  splendor ;  ' ' 
she  was  "  attracted  by  their  solitude  where  she 
might  breathe  the  free  pure  air  of  the  mighty 
Alpestrian  Nature;  "  she  was  bound  to  climb 
"  on  the  white  carpet  of  the  spotless  snows  to 
those  glittering  peaks  which  are  like  luminous 
altars,  the  sojourn  of  joy,  of  sweetness,  of  in- 
finite serenity."  Her  relatives  and  friends 
tried  to  restrain  her  but  she  cried :  ' '  If  I  suf- 
focate, take  my  body  to  the  top  and  leave  it 


Famous  Folk  279 


there."  She  started  with  seven  guides  and  two 
porters,  and  succeeded. 

Afterwards  she  confessed:  —  "If  we  had 
started  from  the  Grands  Mulets  at  four  o  'clock 
instead  of  at  two,  the  ascension  would  have 
been  a  failure  and  we  should  have  got  caught 
in  the  tempest;  if  we  had  gone  back  without 
reaching  the  summit,  they  would  have  made 
sport  of  us;  if  one  of  my  guides  had  perished 
I  should  have  been  stoned  and  if  I  had  per- 
ished it  would  have  been  said:  '  Too  bad,  but 
what  business  had  she  to  get  into  such  a 
scrape?  '  " 

She  has  been  called  "  the  Bride  of  Mont 
Blanc  "  and  it  is  said  of  her  that  "  her  name 
shines  with  fiery  brilliancy  in  the  firmament  of 
Alpinism. ' ' 

Undoubtedly,  if  she  were  living  now,  she 
would  be  the  first  woman  to  cross  the  Alps  in 
an  aeroplane,  for  in  1838  she  proposed  to  go 
to  London  to  make  an  ascension  in  Charles 
Green's  balloon. 

In  the  Bibliotheque  Nationale  at  Paris  are 
three  volumes  containing  fourteen  narratives 
by  those  travellers  who  successfully  reached  the 
summit  between  1786  and  1838,  including  an 
account  of  the  supposed  discovery  of  the  val- 
ley of  Chamonix  and  a  history  of  the  Priory, 


280  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

accompanied  by  a  series  of  pictures,  portraits 
and  original  letters,  collected  by  Markham 
Sherwill,  who  was  the  first  to  put  an  end  to  the 
legend  of  the  discovery  of  the  valley  by  Wind- 
ham and  Pococke. 

The  sight  of  Coppet  of  course  instantly 
brought  to  mind  Gibbon's  early  love  and  her 
later  residence  with  her  unhappy  husband 
("  the  past,  the  present  and  the  future  all  odi- 
ous to  him  ")  and  their  strong-minded  daugh- 
ter, Madame  de  Stael.  In  one  of  Gibbon's 
letters  he  tells  of  the  report  that  the  Necker 
had  purchased  the  barony  of  "  Copet  "  and 
had  found  the  buildings  in  great  disrepair.  He 
added:  —  "  They  have  now  a  very  troublesome 
charge  .  .  .  the  disposal  of  a  Baroness.  Ma- 
demoiselle Necker,  one  of  the  greatest  heiresses 
in  Europe,  is  now  about  eighteen,  wild,  vain  but 
good-natured  and  with  a  much  larger  provision 
of  wit  than  beauty;  what  encreases  their  diffi- 
culties is  their  religious  obstinacy  of  marrying 
her  only  to  a  Protestant." 

She  had  chance  to  display  her  wit,  for  their 
house,  whether  at  Paris  or  in  Switzerland,  was 
always  frequented  by  distinguished  public  men 
and  writers.  In  one  of  her  youthful  essays 
speaking  of  "  La  Nouvelle  Heloise  "  she  criti- 


Famous  Folk  281 


cizes  Julie  for  continually  lecturing  Saint- 
Preux:  "A  guilty  woman  may  love  virtue," 
she  says,  "  but  she  should  not  prate  about  it." 

She  might  have  been  the  wife  of  William 
Pitt;  the  Comte  de  Guibert  (to  whom  Made- 
moiselle de  l'Espinasse  wrote  such  glowing 
love-letters  and  whose  marriage  to  another  lady 
broke  her  heart)  was  also  regarded  as  a  pos- 
sibility. But  finally  the  choice  fell  on  the 
Swedish  Baron  de  Stael-Holstein,  who  was,  in 
consequence  of  her  dowry,  raised  to  the  rank 
of  ambassador,  but  was  more  heavily  laden  with 
debts  than  with  intellect. 

At  Coppet,  while  in  exile  from  her  beloved 
Paris,  she  wrote  her  romance  "  Corinne,"  and 
at  Coppet  she  managed  to  gather  about  her 
that  circle  of  wits  and  admirers  which  was  so 
essential  to  her  happiness.  The  German  poet 
and  romanticist,  August  Wilhelm  von  Schlegel, 
lived  at  Madame  de  Stael's  chateau  for  about 
fourteen  years.  Byron  visited  her  there;  so 
did  George  Ticknor  of  Boston.  But  Switzer- 
land exercised  no  spell  on  Madame  de  Stael 
and  interesting  as  her  love-affairs  are,  espe- 
cially her  long  liaison  with  Benjamin  Constant 
de  Eebecque,  whose  cant  name  was  "  La  Faus- 
sete,"  just  as  Madame  de  Montolieu's  was  "  Le 
Tourbillon  "   and   Gibbon's   was   "  Neptune  " 


282  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

or  her  secret  marriage  with  the  handsome 
youth  Albert  cle  Rocca,  she  was  only,  as  it  were, 
a  prisoner  in  sight  of  the  Alps  and  yearning 
for  her  beloved  Paris. 

Sainte-Beuve,  who  was  for  a  time  a  professor 
at  Lausanne,  gives  a  brilliant  account  of  the 
society  which  gathered  in  her  salon.  He 
says : — 

"  What  the  sojourn  at  Ferney  was  for  Vol- 
taire, the  life  at  Coppet  was  for  Madame  de 
Stael,  but  with  a  more  romantic  halo  round  her, 
it  seems  to  us,  more  of  the  grandeur  and  pomp 
of  life.  Both  reigned  in  their  exile ;  Voltaire, 
in  his  low  flat  plain,  his  secluded,  poverty- 
stricken  castle,  with  a  view  of  despoiled,  un- 
shaded gardens,  scorned  and  derided.  The  in- 
fluence of  Coppet  is  quite  different;  it  is  that 
of  Jean-Jacques  continued,  ennobled,  installed, 
and  reigning  amid  the  same  associations  as  his 
rival.  Coppet  counterbalances  Ferney,  half 
dethrones  it. 

' '  We  also,  of  this  younger  generation,  judge 
Ferney  by  comparing  it  with  Coppet,  coming 
down  from  Coppet.  The  beauty  of  its  site,  the 
woods  which  shadow  it,  the  sex  of  its  poet,  the 
air  of  enthusiasm  we  breathe  there,  the  elegant 
company,  the  glorious  names,  the  walks  by  the 
lake,  the  mornings  in  the  park,  the  mysteries 


Famous  Folk  283 


and  the  inevitable  storms  which  we  surmise,  all 
contribute  to  idealize  the  place  for  us.  Coppet 
is  the  Elysium  which  every  disciple  of  Jean- 
Jacques  would  gladly  give  to  the  mistress  of  his 
dreams.  ... 

"  The  literary  and  philosophical  conversa- 
tions, always  high-toned,  clever  and  witty,  be- 
gan as  early  as  eleven  in  the  morning,  when  all 
met  at  breakfast;  and  were  carried  on  again 
at  dinner,  and  in  the  interval  between  dinner 
and  supper,  which  was  at  eleven  at  night,  and 
often  as  late  as  midnight.  Benjamin  Constant 
and  Madame  de  Stael  engrossed  the  conversa- 
tion. .  .  .  Their  intellects  were  in  accord ;  they 
always  understood  each  other. 

"  But  we  must  not  suppose  that  everyone 
there  was  always  either  sentimental  or  solemn ; 
very  often  they  were  simply  gay ;  Corinne  had 
days  of  abandon,  when  she  resembled  the  sig- 
nora  Fantastici.  Plays  were  often  acted  at 
Coppet,  dramas  and  tragedies,  or  the  chivalric 
pieces  of  Voltaire,  ■  Zaire  '  and  '  Tancrede,' 
favourites  of  Madame  de  Stael 's;  or  plays 
composed  expressly  by  her  or  her  friends. 
These  latter  were  sometimes  printed  at  Paris, 
so  that  the  parts  might  more  easily  be  learned ; 
the  interest  taken  in  such  messages  was  very 
keen ;  and  when  in  the  interval  some  important 


284  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

correction  was  thought  of,  a  courier  was  hur- 
ried off,  and  sometimes  a  second  to  catch  him 
up,  and  modify  the  correction  already  en  route. 
The  poetry  of  Europe  was  represented  at  Cop- 
pet  by  many  celebrated  men.  Zacharias  Wer- 
ner, one  of  the  originators  of  that  court,  whose 
'  Attila  '  and  other  dramas  were  played  with  a 
considerable  addition  of  German  ladies,  wrote 
about  this  time  (1809)  to  Counsellor  Schnef- 
fer :  — 

"  '  Madame  de  Stael  is  a  queen,  and  all  the 
intelligent  men  who  live  in  her  circle  are  unable 
to  leave  it,  for  she  holds  them  by  a  magic  spell. 
They  are  not  all,  as  is  foolishly  believed  in 
Germany,  occupied  in  forming  her  literary 
character;  on  the  contrary,  they  receive  a 
social  education  at  her  hands.  She  possesses  to 
admiration  the  secret  of  uniting  the  most  un- 
likely elements,  and  all  who  come  near  her,  how- 
ever different  their  opinions  may  be,  agree  in 
adoring  this  idol.  Madame  de  Stael  is  of  mid- 
dling height,  and,  without  possessing  the  ele- 
gance of  a  nymph,  is  of  noble  proportions.  .  .  . 
She  is  healthy,  a  brunette,  and  her  face  is  not 
exactly  beautiful ;  but  this  is  not  observed,  for 
at  sight  of  her  eyes  all  else  is  forgotten;  they 
are  superb;  a  great  soul  not  only  shines  in 
them,  but  shoots  forth  flame  and  fire.     And 


Famous  Folk  285 


when,  as  so  often  happens,  she  speaks  straight 
from  her  heart,  we  see  how  this  noble  heart  is 
hedged  round  by  all  that  is  great  and  profound 
in  her  mind,  and  then  one  must  adore  her,  as  do 
my  friends  A.  W.  Schlegel  and  Benjamin  Con- 
stant. ' 

1 '  It  is  not  difficult  to  imagine  to  oneself  the 
sprightly  author  of  this  picture.  Werner,  in 
his  uncouth  dress,  purposely  besmeared  with 
snuff,  furnished  as  he  was  with  an  enormous 
snuff-box,  which  he  used  plentifully  during  his 
long,  erotic,  and  platonic  digressions  on  an- 
drogyne; his  fate  was,  he  said,  to  be  dragged 
hither  and  thither  in  fruitless  search  for  that 
other  half  of  himself,  and  from  one  attempt  to 
another,  from  divorce  after  divorce,  he  never 
despaired  of,  in  the  end,  reconstituting  his  orig- 
inal self. 

"  As  for  portraits  of  Madame  de  Stael,  we 
see  how  all  who  try  to  limn  her  agree  in  the 
chief  points,  from  M.  de  Guibert  to  (Ehlen- 
schlseger  and  Werner.  Two  faithful  and  trust- 
worthy portraits  from  the  brush  allow  us  to 
dispense  with  literary  word-painting,  —  the 
portrait  painted  by  Madame  Lebrun  in  1807, 
which  presents  Madame  de  Stael  to  us  as  Co- 
rinne,  bare-headed,  her  hair  in  curls,  a  lyre  in 
her  hand;    and  the  picture  by  Gerard,  painted 


286  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

after  her  death,  but  from  perfect,  unerring  re- 
membrance. However,  in  collecting  together 
several  sketches  from  various  contemporaneous 
pens,  we  think  we  have  not  done  a  useless  thing ; 
one  is  never  weary  of  harmonizing  many  remi- 
niscences of  those  beloved  and  admired  ones 
who  are  no  more. 

"  English  poetry,  which,  during  the  Conti- 
nental wars,  was  unrepresented  at  this  long- 
congress  of  thought  of  which  Coppet  was  the 
abiding-place,  appeared  there  in  1816,  in  the 
persons  of  Lewis  and  Byron.  The  latter  has 
spoken  of  Madame  de  Stael  in  his  Memoirs  in 
an  affectionate  and  admiring  manner,  despite 
a  certain  levity  the  oracle  indulges  in.  Blase 
as  he  is,  he  admits  that  she  has  made  Coppet 
the  most  pleasant  place  in  the  world,  through 
the  society  she  chooses  to  receive  there,  and 
which  her  own  talent  animates.  On  her  side, 
she  pronounced  him  to  be  the  most  seductive 
man  in  England,  always  adding:  '  I  credit  him 
with  just  sufficient  tenderness  to  destroy  the 
happiness  of  a  woman.'  " 

Higher  and  higher  grow  the  shores  of  the 
lake.  We  left  Coppet  and  its  memories  of  that 
brilliant  and  unhappy  genius  behind  and  were 
soon  skirting  Nyon,  which  the  Romans  knew  as 


Famous  Folk  287 


Noviodunum.  Now  that  name  is  most  inter- 
esting. It  contains  in  it  the  noun  dun  which 
as  a  Saxon  word  means  a  hill  and  is  seen  in  its 
simplest  form  in  the  expression,  sand-dunes ;  it 
also  appears  as  "downs;"  but  it  is  also  a 
Keltic  word  and  means  a  fortified  hill;  both 
Saxon  and  Keltic  words  are  etymologically  the 
same  as  ton  or  town.  Ca?sar  made  it  a  garrison 
forty-five  years  before  Christ  and  called  it 
Colonia  Equestris. 

There  is  often  a  wonderful  germ  of  history 
hidden  away  in  proper  names.  Who  would 
ever  dream  that  the  little  town  of  Gstaad  which, 
of  course,  is  the  same  as  Gestade,  meaning 
shore  or  bank,  represents  its  ancient  Latin 
name  of  Ripa  Barbarorum?  In  the  same  way 
the  Roman  Mons  Saccarum  was  pronounced  by 
the  Germans  Masox  or  Meysachs,  the  Rhetii 
called  it  Misanc  and  from  that  came  the  name 
of  the  Barons  of  Misaucus  who  inhabited  a 
magnificent  castle  built  before  the  middle  of 
the  Tenth  Century.  The  Germans  call  the 
Italian  the  Walsche,  which  is  the  same  as  call- 
ing them  Welch,  meaning  strangers ;  that  name 
is  seen  in  the  town  of  Wahlenstadt  and  in  the 
people  Walloons.  Vaud  itself  means  Valli, 
which  is  Walli,  the  same  as  Welch.  So  Mon- 
tigl  is  monticvlus,  a  little  mountain ;  Rinegg  is 


288  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

Rheni  unguium,  a  bend  of  the  Rhine;  Grap- 
pelen  comes  from  c  zappa  longa,  meaning  long 
rocks. 

There  is  a  pretty  little  French  characteriza- 
tion of  Nyon  in  four  lines.    It  reads :  — 

"  A  Nyon,  la  riante  ville 

Qui  se  dresse  sur  son  coteau, 
Avec  ses  murs,  son  vieux  chateau, 
Le  lac  est  bleu  d'un  bleu  tranquille." 

We  passed  under  it,  but  could  see  its  stately 
castle  crowned  with  a  multitude  of  spiry  tow- 
ers. From  its  terrace  there  is  a  splendid  view 
across  to  the  pearly  pyramid  of  Mont  Blanc. 
The  castle  has  walls  ten  feet  thick,  but  is  now 
used  as  a  museum.  Next  we  catch  a  glimpse 
of  the  Chateau  de  Prangins,  where  Joseph 
Bonaparte,  Napoleon's  oldest  brother,  lived, 
caring  more  for  a  scholarly  and  agricultural 
life  than  to  be  king  of  turbulent  Spaniards. 
The  two  torrents  rushing  down  from  the  Jura, 
the  Promenthoux  and  the  Aubonne,  have  thrust 
their  cones  out  into  the  lake  and  given  room 
for  pretty  villages. 

Byron,  returning  from  a  walking  expedition, 
stopped  at  Aubonne  "  which,"  he  says,  "  com- 
mands by  far  the  fairest  view  of  the  Lake  of 


Famous  Folk  289 


Geneva;  twilight;  the  Moon  on  the  Lake;  a 
grove  on  the  height,  and  of  very  noble  trees. 
Here  Tavernier  (the  Eastern  traveler)  bought 
(or  built)  the  Chateau,  because  the  site  resem- 
bled and  equalled  that  of  Erivan  (a  frontier 
city  of  Persia) ;  and  here  he  finished  his  voy- 
ages." 

There  is  a  lovely  bay  between  the  two 
"  cones  "  and  the  shore  bears  the  distinctive 
name  of  La  Cote ;  it  is  famous  for  its  delicious 
grapes  and  excellent  white  wine.  The  now  dis- 
tant shore  of  Savoy  swims  in  a  delicate  haze; 
over  the  water,  just  ruffled  by  a  gentle  breeze, 
curl  those  curious  smooth-looking  streaks 
which  are  called  "  fontaines  "  and  are  sup- 
posed to  be  caused  by  minute  particles  of  oil, 
though  some  attribute  them  to  subterranean 
springs. 

It  was  growing  late  in  the  afternoon  and  the 
shores  of  the  lake  are  not  so  interesting,  that 
is  not  so  bold,  after  passing  Rolle  and  its  pre- 
cious island,  and  we  cut  across  from  Saint-Prex 
to  Saint  Sulpice,  leaving  Morges  for  another 
time,  though  its  old  castle  looked  enticing  from 
the  distance. 

It  was  pleasant  to  get  home  again. 


CHAPTER   XVI 

THE    ASCENT    OF    THE    DOLE 

CAN  see  the  importance  of  a  knowl- 
edge of  geology  as  a  basis  for  the 
study  of  history.  How  do  valleys 
run  —  north  and  south  or  east  and 
west?  This  inclination  conditions  sunlight. 
Where  the  rocks  are  hard  and  impervious  there 
are  many  small  streams ;  but  in  a  fissured  dis- 
trict of  chalky  rock  as  in  the  Jura  there  are  few 
torrents.  There  is  almost  no  water  in  the 
regions  of  the  upper  Jurassic  rocks  and  no 
temptations  for  settlers.  But  the  lower  and 
middle  Jura,  rich  in  marl,  offers  excellent  pas- 
turage. The  grass  grows  sparse  but  sweet 
where  the  cretaceous  rocks  have  crumbled. 
Where  the  sun  shines  bright  and  warm  and 
there  is  shelter  from  cold  winds  the  vine  is  cul- 
tivated. 

Poor  ignorant  man,  wandering  up  into  val- 
leys where  the  limestone  of  the  hard  water 
will  give  all  his  descendants  the  goitre,  or  build- 

290 


The  Ascent  of  the  Dole  291 

ing  his  habitation  under  a  precipice  where  the 
whole  side  of  the  mountain  will  slide  down  on 
him  and  overwhelm  him,  as  happened  at  Val 
Bregaglia  in  1618  when  Monte  Conto  wiped  out 
most  of  the  2,000  inhabitants  of  Piuro!  How 
can  a  country  like  Switzerland,  made  up  of  so 
many  scores  of  valleys  each  different  in  char- 
acteristic and  each  conditioning  the  inhabit- 
ants,—  here  making  them  taciturn,  there  gay 
and  thoughtless,  here  again  honest  and  re- 
ligious, there  sly  and  untrustworthy,  —  how 
can  it  have  any  real  political  unity? 

The  next  morning,  after  breakfast,  I  went 
into  the  library  and  picked  up  a  copy  of  Addi- 
son's "  Travels  through  Switzerland."  One 
sentence  begins:  —  "I  made  a  little  voyage 
round  the  lake  and  touched  on  the  several  towns 
that  lie  on  its  coasts,  which  took  up  near  five 
days,  though  the  wind  was  pretty  fair  for  us  all 
the  while."  He  was  referring  to  the  Lake  of 
Geneva.  As  usual  with  me,  I  copied  a  few 
paragraphs  into  my  diary.  I  like  to  do  that 
with  letters  or  books.  Often  one  can  find  just 
the  description  one  wants  and  save  making  an 
original  one.  I  was  amused  at  one  thing  in 
Addison.  He  introduces  classical  poems  when- 
ever he  can  with  his  own  translations  and  some- 


292  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

times  lie  forgets  to  put  them  a  propos,  so  he 
adds  them  at  the  end  of  his  chapter. 

"  Near  St.  Julian  in  Savoy  the  Alps  begin  to 
enlarge  themselves  on  all  sides  and  open  into 
a  vast  circuit  of  ground,  which,  in  respect  of 
the  other  parts  of  the  Alps,  may  pass  for  a 
plain  champagne  country.  This  extent  of 
lands,  with  the  Leman  Lake,  would  make  one 
of  the  prettiest  and  most  defensible  dominions 
in  Europe,  was  it  all  thrown  into  a  single  state 
and  had  Geneva  for  its  metropolis.  But  there 
are  three  powerful  neighbors  who  divide  among 
them  the  greatest  part  of  this  fruitful  country. 
The  Duke  of  Savoy  has  the  Chablais  and  all 
the  fields  that  lie  beyond  the  Arve  as  far  as  to 
the  Ecluse.  The  King  of  France  is  master  of 
the  whole  country  of  Gex;  and  the  Canton  of 
Bern  comes  in  for  that  of  Vaud. 

"  Geneva  and  its  little  territories  lie  in  the 
heart  of  these  three  states.  The  greatest  part 
of  the  town  stands  upon  a  hill  and  has  its  view 
bounded  on  all  sides  by  several  ranges  of  moun- 
tains, which  are,  however,  at  so  great  a  dis- 
tance that  they  leave  open  a  wonderful  variety 
of  beautiful  prospects.  The  situation  of  these 
mountains  has  some  particular  effects  on  the 
country  which  they  inclose.  At  first  they  cover 
it  from  all  winds  except  the  south  and  north. 


The  Ascent  of  the  Dole  293 

It  is  to  the  last  of  these  winds  that  the  inhab- 
itants of  Geneva  ascribe  the  healthfulness  of 
their  air;  for  as  the  Alps  surround  them  on 
all  sides  they  form  a  vast  kind  of  bason,  where 
there  would  be  a  constant  stagnation  of  vapors, 
the  country  being  so  well  watered,  did  not  the 
north  wind  put  them  in  motion  and  scatter 
them  from  time  to  time. 

"  Another  effect  the  Alps  have  on  Geneva 
is  that  the  sun  here  rises  later  and  sets  sooner 
than  it  does  to  other  places  of  the  same  latitude. 
I  have  often  observed  that  the  tops  of  the 
neighboring  mountains  have  been  covered  with 
light  above  half  an  hour  after  the  sun  is  down 
in  respect  of  those  who  live  at  Geneva. 

"  These  mountains  likewise  very  much  in- 
crease their  summer  heats  and  make  up  an 
horizon  that  has  something  in  it  very  singular 
and  agreeable.  On  one  side  you  have  the  long 
tract  of  hills  that  goes  under  the  name  of  Mount 
Jura,  covered  with  vineyards  and  pasturage, 
and  on  the  other  huge  precipices  of  naked  rocks 
rising  up  in  a  thousand  odd  figures  and  cleft  in 
some  places  so  as  to  discover  high  mountains 
of  snow  that  lie  several  leagues  behind  them. 
Toward  the  south  the  hills  rise  more  insensibly 
and  leave  the  eye  a  vast  uninterrupted  prospect 
of  many  miles.    But  the  most  beautiful  view  of 


294  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

all  is  the  lake  and  the  borders  of  it  that  lie 
north  of  the  town. 

"  This  lake  resembles  a  sea  in  the  color  of  its 
waters,  the  storms  that  are  raised  on  it  and  the 
ravages  it  makes  on  its  banks.  It  receives  too 
a  different  name  from  the  coast  it  washes  and 
in  summer  has  something  like  an  ebb  and  flow 
which  arises  from  the  melting  of  the  snows  that 
fall  into  it  more  copiously  at  noon  than  at  other 
times  of  the  day.  It  has  four  different  states 
bordering  on  it:  the  Kingdom  of  France,  the 
Duchy  of  Savoy,  the  Canton  of  Bern  and  the 
Republic  of  Geneva." 

Addison  spent  a  day  at  Lausanne,  which  he 
calls  the  greatest  town  on  the  lake  after 
Geneva,  and  he  saw  "  the  wall  of  the  cathedral 
church  that  was  opened  by  an  earthquake  and 
shut  again  some  years  after  by  a  second." 
But  Addison  adds :  — ' '  The  crack  can  but  be 
just  discerned  at  present  though  there  are  sev- 
eral in  the  town  still  living  who  have  formerly 
passed  through  it." 

Addison's  compliment  to  the  Almighty  in 
letting  the  Rhone  run  as  it  does  is  quite  amu- 
sing. He  says :  "  As  I  have  seen  the  great  part 
of  the  course  of  this  river  I  cannot  but  think 
it  has  been  guided  by  the  particular  hand  of 
Providence.  .  .  .  Had  such  a  river  as  this  been 


The  Ascent  of  the  Dole  295 

left  to  itself  to  have  found  its  way  out  from 
among  the  Alps,  whatever  windings  it  had 
made  it  must  have  formed  several  little  seas 
and  have  laid  many  countries  under  water  be- 
fore it  had  come  to  the  end  of  its  course." 

Addison  went  to  Nyon,  where  he  says  he  ob- 
served in  the  walls  of  several  houses  the  frag- 
ments of  the  vast  Corinthian  pillars  with  sev- 
eral other  pieces  of  architecture  which  must 
have  formerly  belonged  to  some  very  noble  pile 
of  building. 

Will  and  I  went  to  Nyon  a  few  days  after 
our  return  from  Geneva  and  we  went  into  the 
chateau,  where  there  is  now  an  interesting 
museum  of  antiquities.  The  walls  of  the  build- 
ing are  at  least  three  meters  in  thickness. 

From  Nyon  we  drove  in  the  car  through 
Trelex,  Saint-Cergue,  as  far  as  the  Chateau  de 
Vuarnen ;  from  there  we  walked  to  the  summit 
of  La  Dole.  We  chose  our  day  and  our  time 
and  had  as  perfect  a  view  as  one  could  desire. 
It  stands  about  twelve  hundred  and  forty 
meters  above  the  sea  but  it  might  be  rather 
lonely  for  a  continued  residence;  for  that  I 
should  perhaps  choose  the  Chateau  de  Monne- 
tier,  within  jumping  distance  of  Geneva. 

Here  is  Goethe's  account  of  his  ascent  of 
La  Dole.    It  was  a  more  unusual  exploit  in  his 


296  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

day,  and  it  is  interesting  as  showing  what  an 
effect  the  spell  of  the  Alps  had  on  the  great 
German  poet.  I  translated  it  for  my  diary,  but, 
of  course,  I  left  out  a  few  unessential  pas- 
sages :  — 

"  The  weather  was  very  clear;  when  we 
looked  around  we  had  a  view  of  the  Lake  of 
Geneva,  the  mountains  of  Savoy  and  of  Valais ; 
we  could  make  out  Lausanne  and,  through  a 
faint  mist,  also  the  region  of  Geneva.  Mont 
Blanc,  which  towers  above  all  the  mountains  of 
the  Faucigni,  grew  ever  more  and  more  distinct. 
The  sun  was  sinking  undimmed ;  it  was  such  a 
great  prospect  that  a  human  eye  cannot  grasp 
it.  The  moon,  almost  full,  arose  and  we  also 
kept  mounting.  Through  forest  of  fir-trees  we 
climbed  up  toward  the  Jura  and  saw  the  lake 
in  the  vaporous  atmosphere  and  the  moon  re- 
flected in  it.  It  grew  brighter  and  brighter. 
The  road  is  a  well-constructed  chanssee  only 
built  to  facilitate  the  transportation  of  wood 
from  the  mountains  down  into  the  country. 

11  We  had  been  climbing  a  good  three  hours 
when  it  gradually  began  to  descend  again.  We 
thought  that  we  were  looking  down  on  a  large 
lake  below  us,  because  a  thick  mist  filled  the 
whole  valley  over  which  we  could  look.  At  last 
we  came  quite  near  it  and  saw  the  white  bow 


The  Ascent  of  the  Dole  297 

which  the  moon  made  in  it  and  then  we  were 
wholly  enveloped  in  it." 

They  spent  the  night  in  a  comfortable  house 
and  the  next  day  continued  their  journey  into 
the  Jura,  which  he  explains  is  a  word  from  a 
local  term,  joux,  meaning  a  crag  or  mountain. 
The  next  day  they  proceeded  on  their  way.  It 
was  the  twenty-fourth  of  October,  1779. 

"  It  was  a  clear,  cool  morning;  there  was 
hoar  frost  on  the  meadows ;  here  and  there 
light  mist-wreaths  were  drifting  over;  we 
could  see  fairly  well  over  the  lower  part  of  the 
valley;  our  house  lay  at  the  foot  of  the  West- 
ern Noir  Mont.  About  eight  o'clock  we  set 
forth  on  horseback,  and  in  order  to  enjoy  the 
sun  at  once  we  rode  toward  the  west.  The  part 
of  the  valley  where  we  were  proceeding  consists 
of  fenced  meadows  which  toward  the  lake  be- 
come rather  swampy.  The  Orbe  flows  through 
the  center  of  it.  The  inhabitants  have  estab- 
lished themselves  in  single  houses  partly  on  its 
banks,  partly  in  clustering  villages  which  bear 
simple  names  suggested  by  their  situation. 
The  first  one  which  we  passed  through  was  Le 
Sentier.  From  afar  we  saw  La  Dent  de  Baulion 
smiling  across  a  fog  bank  which  hung  over  the 
lake.  The  valley  widened;  we  came  behind  a 
crag  which  hid  the  lake  from  us  and  entered 


298  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

another  village  called  Le  Lieu;  the  fog  was 
rising  and  then  settling  down  again  before  the 
sun. 

"  Near  here  is  a  little  lake  which  seems  to 
have  neither  inflow  nor  outflow.  The  weather 
became  perfectly  clear  and  as  we  reached  the 
foot  of  the  Dent  de  Baulion  we  found  here  the 
northerly  end  of  a  large  lake  which,  as  it  turns 
toward  the  west,  has  its  outlet  into  the  little  one 
through  a  dam  over  which  is  built  a  bridge. 
The  village  above  it  is  called  Le  Pont.  The  lay 
of  the  little  lake  is,  as  it  were,  in  its  own  little 
valley,  which  one  might  call  a  very  neat  ar- 
rangement. At  the  western  end  is  a  note- 
worthy mill  constructed  in  a  cleft  of  the  rock 
which  once  the  little  lake  filled.  Now  it  is 
dammed  away  and  the  mill  is  built  over  the 
chasm.  The  water  runs  through  sluices  to  the 
millwheels  and  from  there  dashes  down  into  the 
clefts  of  the  rocks,  where  it  is  swallowed  up,  and 
a  mile  away  joins  the  Valorbe,  where  it  once 
more   takes    the    name    of   the   upper    stream. 

"  These  sluices  (entonniers)  have  to  be  kept 
clear,  else  the  water  would  rise  and  fill  up  the 
cleft  again  and  drown  the  mill,  as  has  happened 
more  than  once.  Men  were  busy  at  work,  some 
removing  the  decomposed  limestone,  some 
strengthening  the  structure. 


The  Ascent  of  the  Dole  299 

'■'  We  rode  back  over  the  bridge  to  Le  Pont 
and  took  a  guide  to  La  Dent.  As  we  mounted 
we  had  a  fine  view  of  the  large  lake  below  us  in 
its  whole  extent.  To  the  eastward  Le  Noir 
Mont  forms  its  boundary;  behind  that  the  bald 
head  of  the  Dole  comes  into  sight ;  to  the  west- 
ward the  precipitous  crags,  quite  naked  toward 
the  lake,  confine  it. 

"  The  sun  grew  hot;  it  was  between  eleven 
and  noon.  Gradually  we  began  to  get  a  pros- 
pect over  the  whole  valley  and  could  recognize 
in  the  distance  Le  Lac  des  Rousses,  and  coming 
up  to  our  feet  the  region  through  which  we  had 
been  riding  and  the  road  which  still  remained 
for  us  to  accomplish.  As  we  mounted  higher 
we  talked  about  the  vast  extent  of  land  and  of 
the  rulers  which  could  be  distinguished  from 
that  height  and  with  such  thoughts  we  attained 
the  summit ;  but  another  drama  was  there  pre- 
pared for  us.  Only  the  lofty  mountain  chains 
were  visible  under  a  clear  and  cheerful  sky; 
all  the  regions  below  were  bedecked  with  a 
white  woolly  sea  of  fog  which  stretched  from 
Geneva  northward  to  the  very  horizon  and 
gleamed  in  the  sun.  Out  of  this  to  the  east 
arose  the  whole  unbroken  range  of  snow  and 
ice-covered  mountains,  without  respect  to  the 
names  of  the  nations  and  princes  who  lay  claim 


300  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

to  the  possession  of  them,  subjected  only  to  one 
great  Overlord  and  to  the  glance  of  the  sun, 
which  painted  them  a  lovely  rosy  hue. 

"  Mont  Blanc  over  opposite  to  us  was  evi- 
dently the  highest ;  the  ice-mountains  of  Valais 
and  of  the  Oberland  came  next  and  finally 
closed  in  the  lower  mountain  of  the  Canton  of 
Bern.  Toward  the  west  in  one  place  the  sea  of 
fog  was  unbounded ;  to  the  left  in  the  farthest 
distance  the  mountains  of  Solothurn  showed 
themselves;  nearer  still  those  of  Neuchatel; 
directly  before  us  a  few  of  the  lower  peaks  of 
the  Jura ;  below  us  lay  some  of  the  houses  of 
Baulion  whereto  La  Dent  belongs  and  whence 
it  gets  the  name.  Toward  the  west  the  whole 
horizon  is  shut  off  by  the  Franche-Comte  with  a 
stretch  of  low  wooded  mountains,  one  of  which 
stood  out  quite  alone  by  itself  toward  the  north- 
west.   In  front  was  a  lovely  view. 

"  Here  is  the  sharp  point  which  gives  this 
peak  the  name  of  a  tooth.  It  slopes  down 
steeply  and,  if  anything,  bends  inward  a  little ; 
in  the  depths  a  little  fir-wood  valley  with  fine 
grassy  meadows  is  shut  in;  directly  beyond 
lies  the  valley  called  Valorbe,  where  one  can 
see  the  Orbe  springing  from  the  rocks  and  fol- 
low in  imagination  its  downward  course  under 
the  ground  to  the  little  lake. 


The  Ascent  of  the  Dole  301 

"  The  village  of  Valorbe  also  lies  in  this 
valley. 

"  Reluctantly  we  turned  to  descend.  If  we 
could  have  waited  a  few  hours  longer,  until  the 
fog  in  accordance  with  its  custom  should  have 
entirely  dissipated,  we  should  have  been  able 
to  distinguish  the  country  still  farther  down 
the  lake;  but  in  order  that  enjoyment  may  be 
perfect  there  must  still  be  something  left  to  be 
desired.  Looking  down  we  had  the  whole  valley 
in  all  distinctness  before  us;  at  Pont  we 
mounted  our  horses,  rode  along  the  easterly 
side  of  the  lake,  came  through  PAbbaye  de 
Joux,  which  is  now  a  village,  but  was  formerly 
the  seat  of  the  monks  to  whom  the  whole  valley 
belonged.  About  four  o'clock  we  reached  our 
quarters  and  found  a  meal  which  our  hostess 
assured  us  had  been  good  at  midday  but  which 
we  found  tasted  remarkably  good." 

For  their  return  they  decided  to  make  the 
ascent  of  the  second  highest  peak  of  the  Jura, 
the  Dole,  though  it  was  then  supposed  to  be  the 
highest. 

"  We  packed  a  luncheon  of  cheese,  butter, 
bread  and  wine  and  started  away  about  eight 
o'clock.  Our  route  took  us  now  through  the 
upper  part  of  the  valley  under  the  shadow  of 
Le  Noir  Mont.    It  was  very  cold;    there  had 


302  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

been  a  hoar  frost  and  it  had  frozen ;  we  had  still 
an  hour  to  ride  in  the  Bernese  territory  where 
the  chaussee,  which  has  just  been  completed, 
conies  to  an  end.  We  entered  French  territory, 
passing  through  a  small  fir  forest.  Here  the 
scene  abruptly  changes.  What  first  struck  our 
attention  was  the  bad  roads.  The  ground  is 
very  stony ;  great  heaps  of  rocks  lay  all  about ; 
then  again  for  a  space  it  is  very  swampy  and 
full  of  springs;  the  forests  all  about  are  in 
bad  condition ;  the  houses  and  inhabitants  have 
the  appearance  not  exactly  of  destitution  but 
still  of  very  straitened  circumstances.  They 
are  almost  in  the  condition  of  serfs  to  the 
Canonici  of  Saint  Claude;  they  are  bound  to 
the  soil ;  many  imposts  are  laid  upon  them.  .  .  . 
"  Yet  this  part  of  the  valley  is  also  a  good 
deal  built  up.  The  natives  work  hard  to  sup- 
port themselves  and  yet  they  love  their  coun- 
try ;  they  are  in  the  habit  of  stealing  the  wood 
from  the  Bernese  peasants  and  of  selling  it 
again  in  the  country.  The  first  district  is  called 
Le  Bois  d'Amont  and  we  passed  through  this 
into  the  parish  of  Les  Rousses,  where  we  saw 
lying  before  us  the  little  Lake  des  Rousses  and 
Les  Sept  Moncels  —  seven  little  connected  hills 
of  varied  forms,  the  southern  boundary  of  the 
valley.    We  soon  came  to  the  new  road  which 


The  Ascent  of  the  Dole  303 


leads  from  the  Pays  de  Vaud  toward  Paris. 
We  followed  it  for  a  while  downwards  and  were 
soon  out  of  our  valley.  The  bald  head  of  La 
Dole  lay  before  us.  We  dismounted ;  our  horses 
proceeded  along  the  road  to  Saint-Cergues, 
and  we  kept  on  our  way  up  La  Dole. 

"  It  was  about  noon;  the  sun  seemed  hot 
but  a  cool  midday  wind  was  blowing.  When, 
in  order  to  get  breath,  we  turned  around  to  look, 
we  had  Les  Sept  Moncels  behind  us ;  we  could 
still  see  a  part  of  Le  Lac  des  Rousses  and  built 
around  it  the  scattered  houses  of  the  parish. 
Le  Noir  Mont  hid  from  us  all  the  rest  of  the 
valley ;  mounting  higher  we  once  more  saw  the 
same  prospect  over  La  Franche-Comte  and 
nearer  to  us  the  last  mountains  and  valleys  of 
the  Jura  toward  the  south.  We  took  great 
pains  to  avoid  allowing  some  turn  in  the  ascent 
to  give  us  a  prospect  of  the  region  for  the  sake 
of  which  we  were  actually  climbing  the  moun- 
tain. I  was  somewhat  troubled  by  the  fog ;  yet 
I  made  favorable  prognostications  from  the  as- 
pect of  the  sky  above. 

"  At  last  we  attained  the  topmost  peak  and 
beheld  with  the  greatest  delight  that  what  had 
been  denied  us  the  day  before  was  now  vouch- 
safed to  us.  The  whole  Pays  de  Vaud  and  Pays 
de  Gex  lay  before  us  like  a  map ;  all  the  landed 


304  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

estates  with  green  hedges  marked  off  like  the 
beds  of  a  parterre.  We  were  so  high  that  the 
heights  and  depressions  of  the  country  in  the 
foreground  did  not  appear.  Villages,  towns, 
chateaux,  vineyards,  and  higher  up,  where  for- 
est and  Alps  begin,  chalets,  for  the  most  part 
painted  white  and  bright,  shone  in  the  sun. 
The  fog  had  lifted  entirely  from  Lake  Leman; 
we  could  see  the  nearer  shore  clearly;  we  en- 
tirely looked  over  the  so-called  Petit  Lac,  where 
the  great  lake  narrows  and  draws  toward 
Geneva,  which  lay  directly  opposite  us,  and  the 
country  beyond,  shutting  it  in,  began  to  disclose 
itself.  Above  all,  however,  the  prospect  of  the 
ice  and  snow-mountains  asserted  its  rights. 

"  We  protected  ourselves  from  the  cold 
blast  by  the  shelter  of  the  rocks  and  let  the  sun 
pour  down  directly  upon  us;  food  and  drink 
tasted  excellently  good!  We  looked  down  on 
the  fog  as  it  gradually  dispersed;  each  of  us 
discovered  something,  or  claimed  to  discover 
something.  Gradually  Lausanne  began  to 
show  with  all  its  chateaux;  Vevey  and  the 
Castle  of  Chillon  came  out  distinctly;  the 
mountains  that  shut  us  off  from  sight  of  the 
entrance  to  Valais,  sloping  down  into  the  lake; 
from  there  along  the  Savoy  coast  —  Evian, 
Ripaille,   Thonon;    villages   and  chateaux,   all 


The  Ascent  of  the  Dole  305 

clustered  together;  Geneva  came  finally  out  of 
the  fog  at  the  right;  but  farther  toward  the 
south,  toward  Le  Mont  Credo  and  Mont 
Vuache,  where  the  Fort  l'Ecluse  lies  hidden, 
it  still  lingered. 

"  When  we  turned  to  the  left  again,  then  the 
whole  country  from  Lausanne  as  far  as  Solo- 
thurn  lay  in  a  faint  haze.  The  nearer  moun- 
tains and  heights,  wherever  there  were  white 
houses,  could  be  easily  recognized;  some  one 
pointed  out  to  us  the  Castle  of  Chanvan  as  it 
lay  gleaming  at  the  left  by  the  Lake  of  Neu- 
burg,  and  we  could  make  out  its  situation,  but 
the  castle  itself  we  could  not  distinguish  in  the 
blue  haze. 

"  Words  fail  to  describe  the  magnitude  and 
beauty  of  this  view;  at  such  a  moment  one  is 
scarcely  conscious  of  gazing;  one  only  calls 
out  the  names  and  lofty  forms  of  well-known 
cities  and  places  and  rejoices  in  an  intoxicating 
recognition  that  those  white  spots  before  one's 
eyes  are  the  places  themselves. 

"  And  the  ranges  of  gleaming  ice-mountains 
kept  attracting  the  eye  and  the  soul.  The  sun 
turned  more  toward  the  west  and  illuminated 
their  mighty  sides.  What  black  shoulders  of 
rock,  teeth,  towers  and  walls  in  multifold  ranks 
swept  up  from  the  lake  before  them!   forming 


306  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

wild,  monstrous,  impenetrable  vestibules!  As 
they  lie  there  in  their  purity  and  clarity,  mani- 
fold in  the  free  air,  one  willingly  yields  all  pre- 
tentions to  the  infinite,  since  one  can  never  be 
done  with  the  finite  in  contemplation  and 
thought  (Anschauen  und  Gedanken). 

fi  Before  us  we  saw  a  fruitful  inhabited 
land;  the  soil  on  which  we  were  standing,  a 
high,  bald  mountain,  still  bears  grass,  fodder 
for  cattle,  from  which  man  draws  sustenance. 
This  the  conceited  Lord  of  the  World  can  claim 
as  his  own;  but  those  mountains  yonder  are 
like  a  holy  array  of  virgins  whom  the  Spirit 
of  Heaven  cherishes  in  inaccessible  regions  for 
himself  alone  in  everlasting  chastity. 

11  We  stayed  there,  in  eager  rivalry,  stri- 
ving now  with  the  naked  eye,  now  with  the  tele- 
scope, to  make  out  cities,  mountains  and  locali- 
ties, and  we  did  not  start  to  descend  until  the 
sun  in  its  waning  again  allowed  the  fog  to 
spread  its  evening  breath  over  the  lake.  Just 
at  sunset  we  came  to  the  ruins  of  Le  Fort  de 
Saint-Cergues.  Even  down  below  in  the  valley 
our  eyes  were  still  fastened  upon  the  ice-moun- 
tains far  across.  The  farthest  away,  at  the 
left  in  the  Oberland,  seemed  to  be  melting  in 
a  thin  fiery  vapor;  those  nearest  still  stood 
with  well-marked  red  sides  facing  us;   gradu- 


The  Ascent  of  the  Dole  307 

ally  they  grew  white,  green,  grey.  It  looked 
almost  disquieting.  As  a  mighty  body  dies 
from  without  in  toward  the  heart,  so  all  of  them 
slowly  grew  pale  up  toward  Mont  Blanc,  whose 
broad  bosom  still  glowed  rosy  and  seemed  to 
preserve  for  us  a  reddish  glow. 

"  At  last  reluctantly  now  we  had  to  take  our 
departure.  We  found  the  horses  at  Saint- 
Cergues  and,  in  order  that  there  might  be  noth- 
ing lacking,  the  moon  rose  and  gave  us  light  on 
our  way  to  Nyon,  while,  as  we  rode,  our  excited 
senses  once  more  grew  calm  and  assumed  their 
wonted  tone,  so  that  we  were  able  with  fresh 
enjoyment  to  find  pleasure  in  looking  out  of 
the  windows  of  our  inn  on  the  wide  spreading 
reflection  of  the  moon  in  the  perfectly  unruffled 
lake." 

It  makes  one  realize  the  flight  of  time  to 
read  a  little  farther  on  of  Goethe's  visit  to  the 
illustrious  De  Saussure,  through  whose  initia- 
tive the  ascent  of  Mont  Blanc  was  accomplished 
nearly  seven  years  later.  Goethe  wanted  to 
assure  himself  that  it  was  feasible  so  late  in  the 
season  to  go  from  Geneva  by  way  of  Cluse  and 
Salanches  into  the  Valley  of  Chamonix  and  from 
there  by  way  of  Valorsine  and  Trient  into 
Martinach  in  the  Valais.     De   Chaussure   en- 


308  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

couraged  him  to  do  so,  and  in  company  still 
with  the  Duke  Charles  Augustus  of  Weimar  he 
made  his  famous  trip  which  included  a  visit  to 
Sion  and  the  peak  of  the  Saint-Gothard. 

Just  a  hundred  years  after  Gray  and  sixty 
years  after  Goethe  penetrated  these  mountains 
still  another  great  poet  enriched  his  imagina- 
tion by  experiences  in  the  Alps.  Curiously 
enough  all  three  of  them  related  their  adven- 
tures and  their  sensations  in  the  form  of  let- 
ters. Victor  Hugo  was  at  Geneva  and  at  Lau- 
sanne in  September.  He  had  been  at  Lucern, 
at  Bern  and  upon  the  Rigi.  He,  too,  was  im- 
pressed by  the  wonders  of  the  Alpine  mists. 
He,  too,  describes  a  sunset :  — 

"  At  this  moment  the  abyss  was  growing 
magnificent.  The  sun  was  going  down  behind 
the  notched  crest  of  Pilatus.  Its  rays  rested 
only  on  the  highest  summits  of  all  the  moun- 
tains and  its  level  rays  lay  across  these  mon- 
strous pyramids  like  golden  architraves. 

1 '  All  the  mighty  valleys  of  the  Alps  were  fill- 
ing with  mists;  it  was  the  hour  when  eagles 
and  Lammergeier  seek  their  eyries. 

"  I  had  stepped  forward  to  the  edge  of  the 
precipice  above  which  rises  the  cross  and  from 
which  Goldau  is  visible.  I  was  alone,  with  my 
back  turned  toward  the  sunset.     I  know  not 


The  Ascent  of  the  Dole  309 

what  the  others  were  looking  at;  what  I  saw 
was  sublime  enough  for  me. 

"  The  immense  cone  of  shadow  projected  by 
the  Rigi,  clearly  outlined  by  its  edges  and,  be- 
cause of  the  distance,  free  from  any  visible 
penumbra,  gradually  mounted,  rock  by  rock, 
tree  by  tree,  the  steep  side  of  the  Rossberg. 
The  shadow  mountain  was  devouring  the  sun- 
light mountain.  This  vast  dark  triangle,  the 
base  of  which  was  lost  beneath  the  Rigi  and  the 
apex  of  which  was  each  instant  coming  nearer 
and  nearer  the  summit  of  the  Rossberg,  has 
already  embraced  Art,  Goldau,  ten  valleys,  ten 
villages,  half  of  the  Lake  of  Zug  and  the  whole 
Lake  of  Lowerz.  Clouds  of  reddish  copper 
color  floated  across  it  and  changed  into  pewter. 
In  the  depths  of  the  ravine  Art  floated  in  a 
twilight  glow  starred  here  and  there  by  lighted 
windows.  Already  poor  women  were  sewing 
down  there  by  their  lighted  lamps.  Art  lives 
in  the  night ;  the  sun  sets  for  its  inhabitants  at 
two  o'clock. 

"  A  moment  later  the  sun  had  disappeared, 
the  wind  blew  cold,  the  mountains  were  grey. 
Not  a  cloud  was  in  the  sky.  The  Rigi  had  be- 
come solitary  once  more,  with  a  boundless  blue 
sky  arching  above. 

"  In  one  of  my  earlier  letters  I  spoke  of 


310  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

1  these  granite  waves  called  Alps.'  I  had  no 
idea  I  had  hit  it  so  accurately.  The  image 
which  came  into  my  mind  appeared  to  me  in  all 
its  vividness  on  the  summit  of  the  Rigi  after 
the  sun  had  gone  down.  These  mountains  are 
really  billows,  but  giant  billows.  They  have  all 
the  forms  of  the  sea;  there  are  green,  dark 
swells,  which  are  the  crests  covered  with  ever- 
greens; blond  and  earthy  seas,  which  are  the 
granite  slopes  gilded  with  lichens ;  on  the  lofti- 
est undulations  the  snow  is  torn  off  and  falls 
in  masses  into  black  ravines  as  the  foam  does. 
You  might  think  you  saw  a  mighty  ocean  solidi- 
fied in  the  midst  of  a  tempest  by  the  breath  of 
Jehovah. 

"  What  would  become  of  the  horizon  and  the 
mind  of  man  should  these  enormous  billows  be 
suddenly  set  in  motion  again?  " 


CHAPTER   XVII 

A  FORMER    WORKER   OF   SPELLS 

SMALL  boulder  rolling  down  into  a 
river  may  quite  change  its  course. 
The  sand  begins  immediately  to  bank 
up  against  it;  the  current  is  insen- 
sibly turned  away  toward  the  other  side,  and 
from  where  the  boulder  began  to  build  a  whole 
new  area  of  intervale  may  in  time  spread  its 
bright  green  pasturage. 

Such  a  boulder  was  Dr.  Tissot  in  Swiss  life. 
He  was  not  by  any  means  the  first  Lausanne 
physician  to  attract  patients  from  abroad.  In 
the  Sixteenth  Century  a  Jean  Volat  de  Cham- 
bery,  after  having  been  a  Protestant  minister 
at  Lonay,  practised  medicine  and  became  fa- 
mous, and  in  1543  Jacques  Blecheret  was  named 
medecin  to  the  city.  But  all  before  or  since 
were  insignificant  compared  to  the  great  Dr. 
Tissot,  whom  a  well-lmown  lady  of  his  day  in 
her  enthusiasm  called  the  god  of  medicine.  My 
nephew  declared  that  his  very  name  carried 
with  it  a  sound  of  infallibility  —  which  was  cer- 

311 


312  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

tainly  subtle.  He  brought  me  a  copy  of  Tis- 
sot's  famous  book:  "  Avis  au  Peuple  sur  sa 
Sante."  The  first  edition  came  out  in  August, 
1761,  and  it  was  soon  translated  into  German, 
Dutch,  Flemish,  English,  Italian,  Swedish,  Da- 
nish, Hungarian,  Russian,  Spanish  and  Polish. 
It  was  dedicated  "  Aux  tres-illustres,  tres- 
nobles,  et  magnifiques  Seigneurs  les  Seigneurs 
Presidens  et  Conseilers  de  la  Chambre  de  Sante 
de  la  Ville  et  Republique  de  Berne." 

It  was  a  vade  mecum  for  people  who  lived 
far  from  doctors.  "  II  faut  seigner  "  was  one 
of  his  prescriptions:  in  those  days  they  re- 
sorted to  heroic  measures ;  vesicatoires  — 
whether  made  with  Spanish  flies  or  not  does 
not  appear  —  were  recommended  for  sore  eyes ; 
Hofmann's  drops  for  catarrhal  fevers,  stomach- 
cramps,  colds  and  bronchitis.  Every  one  talked 
about  Tissot  and  his  remedies.  He  had  them 
drink  mineral  waters,  especially  recommending 
those  of  Rolle  which  he  said  had  a  styptic  taste 
and  were  "  bonne  pour  obstructions  du  foie  et 
de  rate,  les  galles,  dartres,  et  autres  inaux  de 
la  peau."  He  gave  excellent  advice  about 
cleanliness  and  fresh  air. 

It  was  needed  in  those  days,  for  if  quackery 
is  rampant  in  this  our  day  of  grace,  how  much 
more  flagrant  was  it  then.    Some  of  the  reme- 


A  Former  Worker  of  Spells       313 

dies  were  amazing.  Here  is  a  decoction  war- 
ranted to  restore  the  vital  forces  and  animate 
the  mind:  It  is  made  up  of  aloes  from  the 
island  of  Socotora,  a  gross  of  Zodoaire,  a  gross 
each  of  gentian,  safran,  fine  rhubarb,  theriaque 
de  Venise ;  all  which  when  compounded  was  to 
be  powdered,  sifted  through  a  parchment  sieve ; 
then  when  it  should  have  fermented  nine  days 
in  the  shade,  shaken  night  and  morning,  it  was 
to  be  put  into  a  pint  of  brandy.  Another  doc- 
tor claimed  to  cure  the  stone  by  a  dose  of  tar- 
tines  de  miel  for  breakfast  and  supper;  that 
sounds  more  appetizing  than  a  decoction  of 
Italian  scorpions.  Madame  de  Severy  had  an 
attack  of  nerves :  Dr.  Tissot  gave  her  for  this 
unpleasant  malady  a  bitter  bouillon  made  of 
dandelion,  chicory  and  soapwort.  But  his  chief 
recommendation  was  to  eat  slowly  and  chew 
carefully  —  an  anticipation  of  Fletcherism. 

Auguste  Tissot,  of  an  old  Italian  family 
which  came  to  Vaud  in  1400,  was  born  at 
Grancy  in  March,  1728.  He  was  educated  at 
l'Isle  by  his  uncle,  a  Protestant  pastor.  Then 
he  studied  medicine  at  Montpellier,  and  early 
won  a  reputation  by  his  skill  in  curing  small- 
pox. He  was  a  pronounced  advocate  of  inocu- 
lation and  wrote  a  book  about  it.  He  became 
a  professor  at  Lausanne  in  1766  and  both  the 


314  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

King  of  Poland  and  Maria  Theresa  tried  in 
vain  to  woo  him  away  to  be  their  court  phy- 
sician. George  III  wanted  him  in  England. 
Napoleon  wrote  him  about  his  gouty  uncle. 
He  attended  Frederic  the  Great  in  his  last  ill- 
ness. Venice  offered  him  a  chair  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Padua.  Finally,  through  the  friendly 
offices  of  the  Emperor  Joseph  II,  whom  he  had 
cured,  he  was  induced  to  become  a  professor 
in  Pavia,  where  he  gave  lectures  in  Latin  for 
two  years  and  then  resigned  to  return  to  his 
beloved  Lausanne.  After  his  death  in  1797  the 
Pavians  erected  a  monument  to  him.  Angelica 
Kauffman  at  Rome  painted  the  portrait  of  him 
which  is  still  at  the  Chateau  de  Crissier.  The 
picture  portrays  him  with  gallooned  buttons; 
he  holds  a  pen  in  his  hand  and  his  mouth  is 
slightly  parted.  Under  an  engraved  portrait 
of  him  is  this  stanza :  — 

"  Son  coeur  cherit  l'humanite\ 

Son  esprit  le  guide  et  l'eclaire; 

Profond  dans  ses  secrets,  en  instruisant  la  terre 
II  vole  a  1' immortality." 

He  married  a  daughter  of  the  learned  Pro- 
fessor d 'Apples  de  Charriere,  who  brought  him 
only  four  thousand  liyres. 


A  Former  Worker  of  Spells       315 

Tissot  was  the  magnet  that  attracted  the 
magnates.  They- came  from  all  lands  and  were 
of  every  rank:  —  "the  Englishes"  came, 
haughty  lords  and  ladies  of  high  degree; 
French  financiers,  to  say  nothing  of  dues  and 
vicomtes;  German  princes  and  kings  and  em- 
perors in  state  or  incog.  The  streets,  narrow, 
and  not  at  that  time  well  fitted  for  carriages, 
were  often  blocked,  and  lively  scenes  took 
place;  postilions  would  be  swearing  in  every 
known  tongue,  children  squealing,  horses  fall- 
ing and  threatening  to  roll  down  to  Ouchy, 
whips  cracking,  and,  as  always,  the  small  boy 
taking  great  delight  in  the  excitement.  One 
day  an  Irish  prelate  came  in  an  equipage  of 
three  six-horse  coaches,  preceded  by  many 
lackeys;  then  arrived  a  Russian  princess  with 
hard  face,  witty  and  cultivated,  speaking  all 
languages.  Some  one  tried  to  point  out  to  her 
the  beauty  of  the  view;   elle  meprisait  tout. 

Another  of  his  patients  was  la  Comtesse  de 
Brionne,  widow  of  the  Prince  Louis  de  Lor- 
raine, beloved  by  the  Due  de  Choiseul;  she 
stayed  in  Lausanne  a  long  time  with  her  son, 
the  Prince  de  Lambesc.  Another  was  the 
Countess  Potocka,  regarded  as  the  loveliest 
woman  in  the  world  and  rousing  wonder  and 
admiration  by  her  extraordinary  head-dresses, 


316  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

one  of  which  was  compared  to  the  beautiful 
city  of  Lausanne  —  with  its  three  hills,  la  cite 
en  aigrette,  La  Rue  du  Pre  represented  by  the 
parting  in  the  middle,  the  Faubourgs  de  Saint- 
Francois  and  d'Estraz  by  the  two  papillons  or 
butterfly  arrangements  and  the  Rue  de  Bourg 
by  a  ribbon. 

In  1792  the  Princess  Alexander  Liubomirska 
came.  Her  maitre  d 'hotel  was  overheard  ut- 
tering some  impertinences  about  the  govern- 
ment and  the  bailiff  had  him  arrested  and  put 
into  jail.  The  princess  was  wrathful  and  ut- 
tered worse  impertinences,  declaring  that  the 
country  was  governed  by  tyrants.  M.  d'Erlach, 
who  was  really  a  great  wit  and  quite  broad- 
minded,  remarked  that  in  a  tete-a-tete  he  could 
bear  any  sort  of  reproaches  from  a  pretty 
woman  but  devant  le  monde  —  that  was  an- 
other matter. 

He  gave  the  princess  orders  to  leave  town 
within  twenty-four  hours.  She  hastened  to 
Paris  vowing  that  she  would  raise  an  army  and 
come  back  to  avenge  herself  and  her  outraged 
maitre  d 'hotel. 

Prince  Gregory  Orlof,  the  favourite  of 
Catharine  the  Great,  came  with  a  suite  of 
twenty-one,  and  his  wife,  the  Princess  Orlova- 
Zinovieva,  who  in  spite  of  the  doctor's  reme- 


A  Former  Worker  of  Spells        317 

dies  died  there  and  was  buried  in  the  Cathedral. 
In  1782  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  brother  to 
George  III,  came  with  a  numerous  suite  and  the 
asthma.  He  swore  he  would  give  an  arm  or  a 
leg  to  be  free  of  it.  He  was  very  ill-favoured 
but  good-natured.  His  morganatic  wife  was 
with  him  —  a  tall,  handsome,  cold-looking  lady 
—  also  a  little  girl  of  nine  and  as  a  companion 
to  her  a  Lady  Carpenter  who  was  also  haughty 
and  handsome,  with  a  mouthful  of  superb  teeth 
which  she  liked  to  show  when  she  laughed.  The 
Grand  Duke  Paul  of  Russia  came  as  Comte  du 
Nord  and  put  up  at  the  Lion  d'Or  Inn  with  his 
wife  Marya  Feodorovna,  Princesse  de  Wiirtem- 
berg.  As  a  special  favour  it  was  permitted  to 
see  them  eat.  That  was  a  part  of  the  menagerie 
of  royalty.  They  went  up  to  Le  Signal  where 
they  had  luncheon  like  ordinary  mortals,  and 
they  slept  at  Vevey.  In  1782  the  Princesse  de 
Courland,  first  wife  of  the  much  married  Pierre 
de  Courland,  died  at  Mon  Repos,  much  re- 
gretted for  her  charity  and  the  lavish  expendi- 
ture in  which  she  indulged.  She,  too,  was 
buried  in  the  Cathedral.  Another  of  Dr.  Tis- 
sot's  patients  was  the  terrible  dandy  Baron 
Auget  de  Montyon,  intendant  to  the  Due  d'Au- 
vergne.  Years  afterwards  he  founded  the 
Montyon  prizes  for  a  virtue  which  he  did  not 


318  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

possess.  Of  course  Dr.  Tissot  was  frequently 
called  in  to  assuage  the  discomforts  caused  by 
Gibbon's  "  ebullitions  "  of  the  gout. 

In  Eynard's  "  Life  of  Tissot  "  there  is  an 
amusing  account  of  Gibbon's  dancing  the 
minuet :  — 

"  A  German  highly  educated,  but  naturally 
ardent  and  enthusiastic,  presented  himself, 
furnished  with  excellent  letters  of  recommenda- 
tion, to  one  of  our  professors  at  Lausanne, 
and  expressed  to  him  his  desire  to  make  the 
acquaintance  of  the  immortal  author  of  the 
'  Avis  au  Peuple.'  The  professor  was  going 
that  evening  to  visit  Madame  de  Chavriere,  who 
received  the  most  agreeable  people  of  Lau- 
sanne. He  proposed  to  the  gentleman  to  in- 
troduce him  there ;  it  was  in  the  country. 

"  At  the  moment  when  they  arrived  at  Ma- 
dame de  Chavriere 's  the  company  had  just  been 
playing  games  and  were  paying  the  forfeits. 
One  of  the  company  was  playing  on  a  violin, 
while  a  gentleman  of  remarkable  corpulence  ap- 
peared to  be  searching  the  room  for  something 
he  could  not  find.  At  length  the  violin  gave 
forth  louder  sounds,  and  the  stout  gentleman 
—  it  was  no  less  a  personage  than  the  illustri- 
ous Gibbon  —  came  and  took  the  hand  of  M. 
Tissot,  whose  figure,  tall,  dignified,  and  cold, 


A  Former  Worker  of  Spells       319 

formed  the  most  complete  contrast  with  his 
own.  But  this  was  not  enough ;  the  violin  con- 
tinued to  play,  and  they  were  both  obliged  to 
dance  several  figures  of  a  minuet,  to  the  great 
delight  of  the  whole  assemblage.  It  was  the 
payment  of  a  forfeit  due  from  Gibbon,  whose 
jovial  temperament  readily  lent  itself  to  this 
form  of  pleasantry. 

"  But  the  German  whose  sensibility  and  emo- 
tion at  this  spectacle  had  been  plainly  visible 
did  not  realize  what  it  meant.  The  following 
year  there  was  great  astonishment  at  Lau- 
sanne to  learn  that  he  had  taken  it  all  seriously 
and  that  in  the  account  of  his  travels  which  he 
had  just  printed,  he  cited  as  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  of  his  experiences  the  advantage 
of  having  seen  the  celebrated  historian  of 
Rome  and  the  illustrious  philanthropist,  the 
benefactor  of  humanity,  intertwining  dances 
and  harmonious  steps,  thus  recalling  the  beau- 
tiful days  of  Arcadia,  all  whose  antique  virtues 
and  simplicity  they  possessed." 

It  is  evident  that  Tissot  was  not  only  the 
physician  to  all  these  great  people;  they  were 
proud  to  own  him  as  a  friend.  And  since  most 
of  his  friends  and  patients  were  rich  his  rivals 
charged  him  with  being  a  charlatan  and  occu- 
pied  only  in   making   money.     He   did   make 


320  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

money,  and  some  of  his  titled  patients  sent 
him  splendid  presents. 

Among  the  most  interesting  of  M.  Tissot's 
fair  consultants  was  the  lively  and  piquante 
Madame  de  Genlis  who  arrived  at  Lausanne 
with  her  father-in-law.  She  spent  nearly  a 
fortnight  under  his  care,  but  the  fetes,  the  balls, 
the  concerts  at  which  she  displayed  her  charm- 
ing voice,  and  played  the  harp,  the  sails  on  the 
lake,  the  trips  across  to  La  Meillerie,  and  a  mul- 
titude of  other  dissipations  might  well  have  un- 
done all  the  doctor's  prescriptions.  But  they 
were  for  her  mother  not  for  her.  Madame  de 
Genlis  had  long  sworn  by  his  medical  book. 
She  tells  in  her  memoirs  how  she  practised,  in 
an  amateur  way,  on  or  among  the  villagers. 
M.  Racine,  the  barber,  always  came  to  consult 
with  her  whenever  any  one  was  ill. 

"  We  went  together  to  visit  them,"  she  says. 
"  My  prescriptions  were  confined  to  simple  teas 
and  broths  which  I  usually  sent  from  the  cha- 
teau. I  was  at  least  instrumental  in  modera- 
ting the  zeal  of  M.  Eacine  for  the  emetics  which 
he  prescribed  for  almost  every  ill.  I  had  per- 
fected myself  in  the  art  of  bleeding;  the  peas- 
ants often  came  and  asked  me  to  bleed  them 
which  I  did ;  but  as  it  was  known  that  I  always 
gave  them  from  twenty-four  to  thirty  sous  after 


A  Former  Worker  of  Spells       321 

a  bleeding,  I  soon  had  a  great  number  of 
patients  and  I  suspected  that  they  were  at- 
tracted by  the  thirty  sous." 

She  gives  an  entertaining  account  of  her 
arrival  at  Lausanne,  where,  as  she  was  sitting 
in  her  carriage,  wearily  waiting  for  her  servant 
to  find  lodgings,  the  young  Prince  of  Holstein 
recognized  her  and  introduced  her  to  Madame 
de  Crousaz,  the  authoress,  who  procured  for 
her  at  the  house  of  her  father-in-law,  M.  de 
Crousaz,  "  charming  rooms  with  an  enchanting 
view  of  the  Lake  of  Geneva." 


CHAPTER  XVin 


TO    CHAMONIX 


iHILE  I  was  reading  about  Madame 
de  Genlis  after  breakfast  one  morn- 
ing, Ruth  came  into  the  library  and 
we  talked  about  the  advantage  of 
foreign  travel.  Does  the  broadening  effect 
come  from  seeing  new  scenes  or  does  it  proceed 
from  the  intercourse  which  it  favours  with 
men  and  women  of  entirely  different  habits  and 
modes  of  thought? 

I  said  that  my  belief  was  that  a  person  living 
in  an  isolated  country  town,  by  reading  books 
of  travel,  especially  those  furnished  with  illus- 
trations, and  by  attending  "  moving-picture 
shows,"  might  attain  to  as  complete  a  knowl- 
edge of  any  given  foreign  country  as  he  would 
by  merely  travelling  through  it  armed  with  a 
Baedecker.  The  generality  of  travellers  carry 
with  them  the  individual  aura  of  their  own 
conceit  which  is  quite  impermeable  to  new 
ideas,  and  what  they  have  seen  does  not  soak 
into  their  inner  consciousness  at  all.     But  for 

322 


To  Chamonix  323 


the  average  person,  if  there  be  such  a  person, 
stay-at-home  travel  is  more  advantageous  than 
actual  peregrinations.  Rushing  from  one 
country  to  another  or  from  one  place  to  an- 
other is  not  seeing  a  country. 

Ruth  called  my  attention  to  what  Lord  Bacon 
said  about  travel.  In  his  day  "  the  grand 
tour  "  was  the  culmination  of  a  young  noble- 
man's education,  and  Italy  was  the  goal. 
Switzerland  was  merely  an  obstacle  on  the 
way,  to  be  crossed  with  more  or  less  discomfort 
and  with  little  thought  of  its  picturesqueness. 
Ruth  took  down  a  handsome  edition  of  the 
"  Essays  "  and  turned  to  the  one  which  treats 
of  this  subject  and  read  it  aloud  to  me. 

It  was  not  in  accordance  with  his  scheme  to 
fill  the  mind  with  pictures  of  beautiful  scenery, 
though  he  realized  that  for  young  men  it  is  a 
part  of  education  and  for  their  elders  a  part  of 
experience.  He  says :  —  "  He  that  travelleth 
into  a  country  before  he  hath  some  entrance 
into  the  language,  goeth  to  school  and  not  to 
travel."  He  would  not  object  for  young  men  to 
travel  provided  they  take  a  tutor  who  knows 
languages  and  "  may  be  able  to  tell  them  what 
things  are  worthy  to  be  seen  in  the  country 
where  they  go,  what  acquaintances  they  are  to 
seek,   what   exercises   or   discipline    the   place 


324  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

yieldeth;  for  else  young  men  shall  go  hooded 
and  look  abroad  little." 

He  believed  in  keeping  diaries.  He  tells  us 
that  the  things  to  be  seen  and  observed  are :  — 
"  the  courts  of  princes,  especially  when  they 
give  audience  to  ambassadors;  the  courts  of 
justice,  while  they  sit  and  hear  causes;  and  so 
of  consistories  ecclesiastic;  the  churches  and 
monasteries,  with  the  monuments  which  are 
therein  extant;  the  walls  and  fortifications  of 
cities  and  towns;  and  so  the  havens  and  har- 
bors, antiquities  and  ruins,  libraries,  colleges, 
disputations  and  lectures  where  any  are ;  ship- 
ping and  navies;  houses  and  gardens  of  state 
and  pleasure,  near  great  cities;  armories,  ar- 
senals, magazines,  exchanges,  burses,  ware- 
houses, exercises  of  horsemanship,  fencing, 
training  of  soldiers  and  the  like ;  comedies,  such 
whereunto  the  better  sort  of  persons  do  resort; 
treasuries  of  jewels  and  robes;  cabinets  and 
rarities;  and  to  conclude,  whatsoever  is  mem- 
orable in  the  places  where  they  go,  after  all 
which  the  tutors  or  servants  ought  to  make 
diligent  inquiry.  As  for  triumphs,  masks, 
feasts,  weddings,  funerals,  capital  executions 
and  such  shows,  men  need  not  to  be  put  in  mind 
of  them;  yet  they  are  not  to  be  neglected." 

He  did  not  believe  in  staying  long  in  any  one 


To  Chamonix  325 


city  or  town;  but  "  more  or  less  as  the  place 
deserveth,  but  not  long,"  nor  staying  in  any 
one  part  of  a  town :  ' '  Let  him  change  his  lodg- 
ing from  one  end  and  part  of  the  town  to  an- 
other, which  is  a  great  adamant  of  acquaint- 
ance." And  he  advised  "  sequestering  himself 
from  the  company  of  his  countrymen  and  diet 
in  such  places  where  there  is  good  company 
of  the  nation  where  he  travelleth."  Acquaint- 
ance was  the  thing  to  cultivate,  especially  sec- 
retaries and  attaches  or,  as  Bacon  called  them, 
"  employed  men  of  ambassadors,"  and  the  rea- 
son for  this  was  that  he  might  "  suck  the  ex- 
perience of  many." 

' '  When  a  traveller  returneth  home, ' '  he  says 
in  conclusion,  "  let  him  not  leave  the  countries 
where  he  hath  travelled  altogether  behind  him, 
but  maintain  a  correspondence  by  letter  with 
those  of  his  acquaintance  which  are  of  most 
worth;  and  let  his  travel  appear  rather  in  his 
discourse  than  in  his  apparel  or  gesture,  and  in 
his  discourse  let  him  be  rather  advised  in  his 
answers  than  forward  to  tell  stories,  and  let  it 
appear  that  he  doth  not  change  his  country 
manners  for  those  of  foreign  parts  but  only 
prick  in  some  flowers  of  that  he  hath  learned 
abroad  into  the  customs  of  his  own  country." 

I    remarked    that    Ralph    Waldo    Emerson 


326  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

found  to  his  disappointment  on  his  first  trip 
abroad  that  he  could  not  rid  himself  of  him- 
self. It  was  the  same  Emerson  in  Rome,  in 
Paris  and  in  London,  as  in  Boston.  How  much 
would  travel  do  for  such  a  man?  The  great 
philosopher,  Immanuel  Kant,  never  ventured 
more  than  sixty  miles  from  Konigsberg  and 
he  was  lost  if  varied  from  the  daily  routine  of 
shuttle-like  attendance  on  his  lectures  —  back 
and  forth,  back  and  forth. 

"  Yet,"  said  I,  "  Kant  wrote  remarkably 
accurate  descriptions  of  Switzerland  in  his 
Physical  Geography.  He  could  never  have  seen 
the  Alps  except  in  his  imagination. 

"  What  better  description  can  you  find  than 
in  his  '  Comparison  of  the  Beautiful  with  the 
Pleasant  and  the  Good  '  where  he  says :  — 
4  Bold,  overhanging  and  as  it  were  threatening 
rocks ;  clouds  up-piled  in  the  heavens ;  moving 
along  with  flashes  of  lightning  and  peals  of 
thunder;  volcanoes  in  all  their  violence  of  de- 
struction ;  tornadoes  with  their  swath  of  devas- 
tation ;  the  limitless  ocean  in  a  state  of  uproar 
and  similar  spectacles  exhibit  our  power  of  re- 
sistance as  insignificantly  puny  compared  to 
their  might.  But  the  spectacle  of  them  is  the 
more  fascinating,  the  more  terrible  it  is  and  we 
are  prone  to  call  these  objects  sublime,  because 


To  Chamonix  327 


they  raise  the  powers  of  the  soul  above  their 
accustomed  height  and  discover  in  us  a  power 
of  resistance  of  an  entirely  different  sort  —  one 
which  gives  us  the  courage  to  pit  ourselves 
against  the  apparently  infinite  power  of  Na- 
ture.' " 

11  That  is  fine,"  said  Ruth,  "  I  had  forgotten, 
indeed  I  never  knew  that  Kant  was  such  a 
poet." 

11  Speaking  of  poetry,"  said  I,  "  did  you 
know  that  Coleridge,  who  wrote  the  '  Hymn 
before  Sunrise  in  the  Vale  of  Chamouni,'  had 
never  seen  Chamonix  or  Mont  Blanc  in  his  life? 
Being  a  poet,  he  did  not  need  to  see  with  his 
actual  eyes.  Moreover  he  had  a  model  in 
Frederika  Brunn's  '  Chamouni  at  Sunrise/ 
which  runs  with  a  rhythm  reminding  me  of 
some  of  Richard  Wagner's  verses.  Do  you 
remember  her  poem?  " 

"  No,  but  it  is  in  a  note  to  Coleridge's." 

"  Please  read  it." 

'  Aus  tiefen  Schatten  des  schweigenden  Tannenhains, 
Erblick'  ich  bebend  dich,  Scheitel  der  Ewigkeit, 
Blendender  Gipfel,  von  dessen  Hohe 
Ahnend  mein  Geist  ins  Unendliche  schwebet. 

Wer  senkte  den  Pfeiler  in  der  Erde  Schoss, 

Der,  seit  Jahrtausenden,  fest  deine  Masse  sttitat? 


328  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

Wer  tiirmte  hoch  in  des  Aethers  Wolbung 
Machtig  und  kiihn  dein  umstrahltes  Antlitz? 

Wer  goss  Euch  hoch  aus  der  ewigen  Winters  Reich? 
0  Zackenstrome,  mit  Donnergetos'  herab? 
Und  wer  gebietet  laut  mit  der  Allmacht  Stimme: 
"  Hier  sollen  ruhen  die  starrenden  Wogen?  " 

Wer  zeichnet  dort  dera  Morgensterne  die  Bahn? 
Wer  kranzt  mit  Bltiten  des  ewigen  Frostes  Saum? 
Wem  tont  in  schrecklichen  Harmonieen, 
Wilder  Arveiron,  dein  Wogengetummel? 

'  'Jehovah!    Jehovah!  kracht's  im  berstenden  Eis; 
Lavinendonner  rollen's  die  Kluft  hinab: 
Jehovah  rauscht's  in  den  hellen  Wipfehi, 
Fliistert's  an  rieselnden  Silberbachen.' 

"  I  think  that  expression,  '  Scheitel  der 
Ewigkeit  '  is  ludicrous,"  said  Ruth. 

* '  Coleridge  always  improved  on  his  originals 
when  he  translated,  but  it  looked  rather  odd 
for  him  to  have  discussed  the  elements  of  the 
scenery  in  the  Alps  when  he  had  never  been  in 
Savoy.  It  looks  as  if  he  tried  to  throw  dust  in 
people's  eyes.  But  tell  me,  Ruth,  which  do  you 
like  best  the  Coleridge  '  Hymn  '  or  Shelley's 
'  Mont  Blanc,'  which  also  claims  to  have  been 
written  in  the  Vale  of  Chamonix?  First  you 
read  the  lines  you  like  best  in  Coleridge  and 


To  Chamonix  329 


then  I  will  read  a  few  passages  from  Shel- 
ley." 

Ruth  took  the  volume  of  Coleridge  and  be- 
gan. "  I  like  the  first  twelve  lines,"  she 
said :  — 

Hast  thou  a  charm  to  stay  the  morning-star 
In  his  steep  course?    So  long  he  seems  to  pause 
On  th}'  bald  awful  head,  O  sovran  Blanc ! 
The  Arve  and  Arveiron  at  thy  base 
Rave  ceaselessly;  but  thou,  most  awful  Form, 
Risest  from  forth  thy  silent  sea  of  pines, 
How  silently!    Around  thee  and  above 
Deep  is  the  air  and  dark,  substantial,  black, 
An  ebon  mass :  methinks  thou  piercest  it 
As  with  a  wedge!    But  when  I  look  again, 
It  is  thine  own  calm  home,  thy  crystal  shrine, 
Thy  habitation  from  eternity.'  " 

"  Yes,"  I  said,  "  that  '  bald  awful  head  '  is 
better  than  '  Scheitel  der  Ewigkeit,'  but  I  don't 
like  the  immediate  repetition  of  '  awful  '  two 
lines  below;  '  as  with  a  wedge,'  too,  is  weak. 
But  go  on!  " 

Awake,  my  soul!  not  only  passive  praise 
Thou  owest!  not  alone  these  swelling  tears, 
Mute  thanks  and  secret  ecstasy.    Awake, 
Voice  of  sweet  song!    Awake,  my  heart,  awake! 
Green  vales  and  icy  cliffs,  all  join  my  Hymn! 


330  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

Thou  first  and  chief,  sole  sovereign  of  the  Vale! 
0,  struggling  with  the  darkness  all  the  night, 
And  visited  all  night  by  troops  of  stars, 
Or  when  they  climb  the  sky  or  when  they  sink : 
Companion  of  the  morning-star  at  dawn, 
Thyself  Earth's  rosy  star  and  of  the  dawn 
Co-herald:  wake,  0  wake,  and  utter  praise! 
Who  sank  thy  sunless  pillars  deep  in  Earth? 
Who  filled  thy  countenance  with  rosy  fight? 
Who  made  thee  parent  of  perpetual  streams?  '  " 

Again  I  interrupted :  —  "I  think  it  is  far- 
fetched to  call  the  mountain  '  Earth's  rosy 
star,'  and  again  he  uses  the  word  '  rosy  '  just 
below:  '  who  filled  thy  countenance  with  rosy 
light1?  '  That  is  a  weak  line,  don't  you  think? 
*  Visited  all  night  by  troops  of  stars  '  however 
is  masterly.    But  go  on." 

And  you,  ye  five  wild  torrents  fiercely  glad! 

Who  called  you  forth  from  night  and  utter  death, 

From  dark  and  icy  caverns  called  you  forth, 

Down  those  precipitous,  black,  jagged  rocks, 

Forever  shattered  and  the  same  forever? 

Who  gave  you  your  invulnerable  life, 

Your  strength,  your  speed,  your  fury  and  your  joy, 

Unceasing  thunder  and  eternal  foam? 

And  who  commanded  (and  the  silence  came) 

Here  let  the  billows  stiffen  and  have  rest. 

Ye  ice-falls!  ye  that  from  the  mountain's  brow 

Adown  enormous  ravines  slope  amain  — 


To  Chamonix  331 


Torrents,  methinks,  that  heard  a  mighty  voice 
And  stopt  at  once  amid  their  maddest  plunge! 
Motionless  torrents!  silent  cataracts! 
Who  made  you  glorious  as  the  Gates  of  Heaven 
Beneath  the  keen  full  moon?    Who  bade  the  sun 
Clothe  you  with  rainbows?    Who,  with  living  flowers 
Of  loveliest  blue,  spread  garlands  at  your  feet? 
God!  let  the  torrents,  like  a  shout  of  nations, 
Answer!  and  let  the  ice-plains  echo,  God! 
God!  sing  ye  meadow-streams  with  gladsome  voice! 
Ye  pine-groves,  with  your  soft  and  soul-like  sounds! 
And  they  too  have  a  voice,  yon  piles  of  snow, 
And  in  their  perilous  fall  shall  thunder,  God! 


a  i 


it  t 


Ye  living  flowers  that  skirt  the  eternal  frost! 
Ye  wild  goats  sporting  round  the  eagle's  nest! 
Ye  eagles,  playmates  of  the  mountain-storm! 
Ye  lightnings,  the  dread  arrows  of  the  clouds! 
Ye  signs  and  wonders  of  the  elements! 
Utter  forth  God  and  fill  the  hills  with  praise! 

Thou,  too,  hoar  Mount!  with  thy  sky-pointing  peaks, 

Oft  from  whose  feet  the  avalanche,  unheard, 

Shoots  downward,  glittering  through  the  pure  serene 

Into  the  depth  of  clouds  that  veil  thy  breast  — 

Thou  too  again,  stupendous  Mountain!  thou 

That  as  I  raise  my  head,  awhile  bowed  low 

In  adoration,  upward  from  thy  base 

Slow  traveling  with  dim  eyes  suffused  with  tears, 

Solemnly  seemest,  like  a  vapory  cloud, 

To  rise  before  me  —  Rise,  0  ever  rise, 

Rise  like  a  cloud  of  incense  from  the  Earth! 


332  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

Thou  kingly  Spirit  throned  among  the  hills, 
Thou  dread  ambassador  from  Earth  to  Heaven, 
Great  Hierarch!  tell  thou  the  silent  sky 
And  tell  the  stars  and  tell  yon  rising  sun 
Earth  with  her  thousand  voices  praises  God! '  " 

"  I  think  it  ends  pretty  feebly,"  said  I. 
"  He  compares  Mont  Blanc  first  with  a  vapoury 
cloud,  then  to  a  cloud  of  incense;  then  calls  it 
a  kingly  Spirit  throned,  then  a  dread  ambassa- 
dor and  then  a  Great  Hierarch.  What  could  be 
more  mixed  in  its  metaphors?  But  now  let  us 
take  Shelley's  '  Mont  Blanc'  " 

"  I  think  it  begins  with  a  curious  mixture," 
said  Ruth.  "  He  says  the  everlasting  universe 
of  things  flows  through  the  mind,  where  from 
secret  springs  the  source  of  human  thought 
brings  its  tribute  of  waters  with  a  sound  but 
half  its  own  such  as  a  feeble  brook  assumes  in 
the  wild  woods.  How  can  the  eternal  universe 
of  things  rolling  rapid  waves  diminish  itself  to 
a  feeble  brook?    But  it  goes  on:  — 

"  '  In  the  wild  woods,  among  the  mountains  lone, 
Where  waterfalls  around  it  leap  forever 
Where  woods  and  winds  contend,  and  a  vast  river 
Over  its  rocks  ceaselessly  bursts  and  raves.'  " 

"  It  seems  to  me  a  hopeless  mixture.  The 
description  of  the  Vale  is  better :  — 


To  Chamonix  333 


Thus  thou,  Ravine  of  Arve  —  dark,  deep  Ravine  — 
Thou  many-colored,  many-voiced  vale, 
Over  whose  pines  and  crags  and  caverns  sail 
Fast  cloud-shadows  and  sunbeams:  awful  scene, 
Where  Power  in  likeness  of  the  Arve  comes  down 
From  the  ice-gulfs  that  gird  his  secret  throne, 
Bursting  thro'  these  dark  mountains  like  the  flame 
Of  lightning  thro'  the  tempest;  —  thou  dost  lie, 
Thy  giant  brood  of  pines  around  thee  clinging, 
Children  of  elder  time,  in  whose  devotion 
The  chainless  winds  still  come  and  ever  came 
To  drink  their  odors  and  their  mighty  swinging 
To  hear  —  an  old  and  solemn  harmony ; 
Thine  earthly  rainbows  stretcht  across  the  sweep 
Of  the  ethereal  waterfall,  whose  veil 
Robes  some  unsculptured  image;  the  strange  sleep 
Which  when  the  voices  of  the  desert  fail 
Wraps  all  in  its  own  deep  eternity;  — 
Thy  caverns,  echoing  to  the  Arve's  commotion, 
A  loud,  lone  sound  no  other  sound  can  tame; 
Thou  art  pervaded  with  that  ceaseless  motion, 
Thou  art  the  path  of  that  unresting  sound  — 
Dizzy  Ravine!  and  when  I  gaze  on  thee 
I  seem  as  in  a  trance  sublime  and  strange 
To  muse  on  my  own  separate  fantasy, 
My  own,  my  human  mind  which  passively 
Now  renders  .  .  . ' " 

"  Oh  stop,  stop!    Uncle,  I  can't  follow  it!  " 
"  Very  good,  I  will  skip  to  where  he  tells 

how  he  is  gazing  on  the  naked  countenance  of 

earth.     Listen :  — 


334  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

The  glaciers  creep 
Like  snakes  that  watch  their  prey,  from  their  far  foun- 
tains 
Slow  rolling  on.  .  .  .'  " 

"  What  are  rolling  on,  snakes,  avalanches  or 
far  fountains?  " 

There  many  a  precipice, 
Frost  and  the  Sun  in  scorn  of  mortal  power 
Have  piled :  dome,  pyramid,  and  pinnacle, 
A  city  of  death,  distinct  with  many  a  tower 
And  wall  impregnable  of  beaming  ice. 
Yet  not  a  city  but  a  flood  of  ruin 
Is  there,  that  from  the  boundaries  of  the  sky 
Rolls  its  perpetual  stream;  vast  pines  are  strewing  .  .  .' " 

"  Oh,   what   a   rhyme  —  ruin   and   strewin'. 
Do  you  suppose  Shelley  dropped  his  '  g '  'fit  " 
"  Don't  be  irreverent.    Listen:  — 

vast  pines  are  strewing 
Its  destined  path,  or  in  the  mangled  soil 
Branchless  and  shattered  stand;  the  rocks  drawn  down 
From  yon  remotest  waste,  have  overthrown 
The  limits  of  the  dead  and  living  world.  .  .  .' 

"  I  will  omit  about  a  dozen  rather  blind 
lines  about  man  and  his  puniness  and 
begin :  — 


To  Chamonix  335 


Below,  vast  caves 
Shine  in  the  rushing  torrents'  restless  gleam, 
Which  from  those  secret  chasms  a  tumult  welling 
Meet  in  the  vale,  and  one  majestic  River 
The  breath  and  blood  of  distant  lands,  forever 
Rolls  its  loud  waters  to  the  ocean  waves, 
Breathes  its  swift  vapors  to  the  circling  air.' 

"  Now  he  comes  to  Mont  Blanc  itself:  — 

Mont  Blanc  yet  gleams  on  high:  —  the  power  is  there, 

The  still  and  solemn  power  of  many  sights, 

And  many  sounds  and  much  of  life  and  death. 

In  the  calm  darkness  of  the  moonless  nights, 

In  the  lone  glare  of  day,  the  snows  descend 

Upon  that  Mountain;  none  beholds  them  there, 

Nor  when  the  flakes  burn  in  the  sinking  sun, 

Or  the  star-beams  dart  thro'  them:  —  Winds  contend 

Silently  there  and  heap  the  snow  with  breath 

Rapid  and  strong  but  silently!    Its  home 

The  voiceless  lightning  in  these  solitudes 

Keeps  innocently  and  like  vapor  broods 

Over  the  snow.    The  secret  strength  of  things 

Which  governs  thought  and  to  the  infinite  dome 

Of  heaven  is  as  a  law,  inhabits  there! 

And  what  were  thou  and  earth  and  stars  and  sea 

If  to  the  human  mind's  imaginings 

Silence  and  solitude  were  vacancy?  ' 

"  Well,  what  do  you  say?    Which  is  the  truer 
poetry?  "  I  asked. 


336  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

i '  I  think  that  Shelley  would  have  done  better 
if  he  had  not  tried  to  rhyme  his  verses,"  said 
Ruth.  ' '  The  attempt  to  find  rhymes  led  him  on 
and  on  into  meanings  that  he  didn't  mean.  But 
there  are  fine  lines  in  both.  By  the  way,"  she 
added  with  an  abrupt  dislocation  of  our  literary 
talk,  and  yet  it  was  suggested  by  it,  ' '  Will  and 
I  propose  to  take  you  to  Chamonix.  Would  you 
like  that?  " 

"  Of  course  I  would." 

"  We  will  get  an  early  start  to-mor- 
row—  that  is,  if  the  weather  prove  propi- 
tious." 

The  weather  could  not  have  been  more  kindly 
disposed.  We  started  early  in  the  morning  and 
reached  Villeneuve  in  less  than  an  hour. 
Thence  we  rode  up  the  at  first  broad  and  then 
ever  narrowing  valley  of  the  mystic  Rhone.  I 
wished  that  I  might  see  some  of  the  strange 
things  that  it  is  said  to  conceal.  Juste  Olivier 
tells  of  its  sandy  nonchalant  banks,  its  marshes 
and  creeks  of  almost  stagnant  waters,  the  little 
bridges  carrying  fascinating  paths,  which  later, 
glittering  with  silvery  dust,  suddenly  plunge 
under  long  vaults  where  the  light  scarcely 
penetrates  the  green  cool  arches. 

' '  Here  and  there, ' '  he  says,  * '  there  are  fan- 
tastic clearings.    Old  trunks  of  ancient  willows, 


To  Chamonix  337 

oddly  wrapt  around  and  still  more  oddly 
crowned  now  with  creepers,  now  with  young 
bushes  which  have  climbed  to  their  tops,  and 
now  with  their  own  branches  contorted  and  in- 
terlaced. Immense  oaks  loved  by  adventurous 
pairs  of  the  wild  pigeons  which  fill  the  solitude 
with  their  plaintive  notes.  Young  alders  count- 
less in  number  and  growing  so  closely  the 
heifers  can  with  difficulty  force  a  way  through 
between  their  smooth  even  trunks.  In  a  word, 
a  forest  variegated  by  marshes,  by  patches  of 
sand,  by  yellowish  fields  where  the  water  con- 
tributes its  murmur,  the  desert  its  solemnity, 
the  infinite  its  mystery,  the  unknown  its 
charm. 

"  This  is  what  you  find  in  these  shores  of 
the  Rhone  called  Les  Isles.  Sometimes  strange 
noises  come  to  the  inhabited  chalets  and  the 
reedy  plain  and  startle  the  passer-by  and  are 
lost  in  the  neighboring  fields;  it  is  the  voice 
of  la  Fennetta-des-Isles  who  sometimes  bellows 
like  the  bise  in  the  trees,  sometimes  like  the 
calves  in  the  pastures,  and  seems  to  run  over 
the  wrinkled  waters  of  the  canal.  If  the  clamor 
approach  the  fisherman  pulls  in  his  line  and 
turns  his  head  away,  for  he  knows  that  any 
person  who  has  caught  sight  under  any  form 
whatever  of  the  fantastic  being  who  thus  howls 


338  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

in  the  gloomy  woods  has  little  more  to  expect 
from  life." 

We  heard  no  bellowing  Lady-of-the-Isles 
nor  did  we  see  her  under  any  form.  Probably 
electric  trams,  and  corrective  dykes,  and  the 
skeptical  boldness  of  modern  science  has  scared 
the  Little  Lady  away.  She  will  never  come 
back. 

We  had  a  glance  at  the  big  chateau  of  Aigle 
and  looked  to  see  if  we  could  recognize  any  of 
the  fair  black-eyed,  plump-figured  women  for 
which  that  place  is  famous.  We  saw  the  water- 
falls on  the  Grande  Eau.  We  passed  through 
"  the  smiling  village  of  Bex  "  and  Will  asked 
me  if  I  would  like  to  take  the  time  to  visit  the 
remarkable  salt-works  at  Bex  the  Old  —  Be- 
vieux  —  but  I  told  him  that  I  preferred  Attic 
salt.  Then  we  discussed  the  question  how  salt 
should  have  been  deposited  so  high  up  among 
the  mountains.  Was  it  the  relic  of  the  vast 
ocean  that  once  covered  all  Europe?  This 
presence  of  salt-laden  anhydrite  and  the  occa- 
sional suphur  springs  with  high  temperatures 
are  extremely  interesting.  There  is  evidently 
heat  enough  under  the  Alps  to  start  a  volcano 
some  day. 

The  sight  of  the  mountains  gathering  about 
us  menacingly  made  me  again  remember  Juste 


To  Chamonix  339 


Olivier 's  poetic  description  of  the  names  of 
these  Savoyan  Alps.  He  advised  his  pu- 
pils to  climb  them,  his  word,  as  the  word  of 
every  true  Alpinist,  is  ' '  conquer  ' '  —  conquer 
them :  — 

"What  marvellous  treasures!  What  fra- 
grant valleys!  What  flower-adorned  slopes! 
What  dazzling  crystals!  What  depths  of 
shade!  What  fountains!  Happy  son  of  the 
Alps  who  has  succeeded  in  taming  the  Genius 
of  them.  From  the  highest  summits  like  a 
cascade  in  the  eternal  chant,  by  a  thousand 
brooks,  by  a  thousand  murmurs,  over  slate  and 
granite  down  to  the  depths  of  staggering 
abysses,  across  mist-hung  crags,  by  the  side  of 
mournful  lakes,  amid  green  and  smiling  hiding- 
places,  along  pasture-grounds  spread  with  a 
network  of  light  and  shade,  in  fir-forests  which 
roar  like  the  sea,  beds  of  thyme  under  beach- 
trees  and  laburnum,  Poesy  descends  into  the 
valleys  and  with  the  sunset  turns  back  in  jets 
of  flame  toward  the  skies. 

"  Go  forth,  young  hearts!  Go  quench  your 
thirst  at  this  unknown  spring.  Follow  up  the 
torrents  and  lose  yourselves  in  the  plaintive 
forests.  The  Genius  of  the  Alps  is  waiting  for 
you,  and  there  also  is  the  secret  home  of  the 
Genius  of  the  Fatherland. " 


340  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

Rogers  took  this  same  route  and  wrote  about 
it,  almost  a  hundred  years  ago,  at  this  very 
same  Saint-Maurice  where  we  now  arrived:  — 

"  Still  by  the  Leman  Lake,  for  many  a  mile, 
Among  those  venerable  trees  I  went, 
Where  damsels  sit  and  weave  their  fishing-nets, 
Singing  some  national  song  by  the  way-side. 
But  now  the  fly  was  gone,  the  gnat  was  come; 
Now  glimmering  light  from  cottage-windows  broke. 
'Twas  dark;  and,  journeying  upward  by  the  Rhone, 
That  there  came  down,  a  torrent  from  the  Alps, 
I  entered  where  a  key  unlocks  a  kingdom ; 
The  road  and  river,  as  they  wind  along 
Filling  the  mountain-pass.    There,  till  a  ray 
Glanced  through  my  lattice  and  the  household  stir 
Warned  me  to  rise,  to  rise  and  to  depart." 

There  was  much  to  interest  us  at  Saint- 
Maurice,  which  traces  its  ancestry  to  an  old 
Keltic  town  called  Acaunum  or  Agaunum  (as 
the  Latins  spelled  it).  Here  once  occurred  an 
event  which  would  have  pleased  Count  Tolstoi. 
A  manuscript  of  the  Ninth  Century,  discovered 
by  Professor  Emil  Egli  at  Zurich,  relates  it  as 
follows :  — 

"  In  the  army  of  the  Roman  Emperor  Maxi- 
milian who  reigned  from  286  until  306  a.  d.  was 
enrolled  a  legion  brought  from  the  east  and 
called  the   Thebaean   Legion.     They  hesitated 


To  Chamonix  341 


about  fighting  brother-Christians.  The  Em- 
peror learned  in  the  neighboring  town  of  Octo- 
clurum  that  the  legion  was  mutinous  in  the  nar- 
row pass  of  Agaunum.  He  ordered  every  tenth 
man  to  be  beheaded.  But  when  the  legion  per- 
sisted in  its  obstinacy  he  repeated  the  punish- 
ment. Those  left  mutually  exhorted  one  an- 
other to  persist  and  their  leader  Mauricius  with 
two  officers,  Exuperius  and  Candidus  advised 
them  rather  to  perish  than  to  fight  against 
Christians. 

"  So  they  threw  down  their  arms  and  were 
hacked  to  pieces." 

The  legion  consisted  of  sixty-six  hundred 
men.  According  to  other  legends  —  for  this  is 
only  a  legend  which  arose  in  the  Fifth  Century 
—  some  of  the  legion  were  subjected  to  a  mar- 
tyr's death  elsewhere  —  Ursus,  Victor  and 
Verena  at  Solothurn,  Felix  and  Eegula  at 
Zurich.  However  the  story  may  be  regarded, 
the  town  is  supposed  to  have  received  its  name 
from  the  leader  of  the  Eastern  legion.  The 
abbey  now  occupied  by  Augustine  canons  who 
take  pride  (for  a  fee)  in  showing  their  treas- 
ures—  a  Saracen  vase,  a  gold  crozier  and  a 
silver  ewer  presented  by  Charlemagne,  and 
other  relics  —  is  said  to  date  back  to  the  Fourth 
Century  and  was  founded  by  Saint  Theodore, 


342  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

one  of  Licinius'  Greek  officers,  who  was  con- 
verted and  put  to  death. 

Next  we  arrived  at  Martigny,  the  ancient 
Roman  town  of  Octodurus,  near  the  junction  of 
the  Dranse  with  the  Rhone.  Octodurus  sig- 
nified the  Castle  in  the  Narrows.  It  was  the 
capital  of  the  Veragri  who  with  the  Seduni  held 
possession  of  the  pass  of  the  Great  Saint-Ber- 
nard. Caesar  makes  mention  of  it  in  the  Third 
Book  of  the  Gallic  "War. 

Investigations  have  shown  that  the  Wallisi 
had  the  right  bank  of  the  Dranse  and  the 
Romans  the  left.  Suddenly  Galba  discovered 
that  all  the  inhabitants  had  deserted  their 
houses  in  one  night  and  that  a  great  body  of  the 
Seduni  and  Veragri  were  occupying  the 
heights.  They  knew  that  the  legion  was  not 
complete,  that  two  cohorts  were  at  Acaunum 
and  that  a  good  many  had  gone  over  the  Alps 
to  get  provisions  and  that  the  fortifications 
were  not  finished. 

"  Galba  held  a  council  of  war.  Some  of  the 
men  were  in  favor  of  fighting  their  way  back; 
but  the  majority  voted  to  defend  the  camp.  In 
the  meantime,  at  a  given  signal,  the  "Wallisi 
began  to  storm  down  from  the  heights  and  fling 
stones  and  lances.  The  Romans  defended 
themselves   and   every   shot   told.     Wherever 


To  Chamonix  343 


there  was  a  rush  of  the  enemy  the  Romans  met 
them.  But  the  Wallisi  had  constant  reinforce- 
ments. After  fighting  six  hours  ammunition 
began  to  fail.  Breaches  were  made  in  the 
walls;  the  ditches  were  filled  up  and  the 
Romans  were  in  desperate  plight.  Then  Galba 
had  his  men  rest  a  while,  and  at  a  sudden  signal 
having  armed  themselves  with  the  lances  of 
the  enemy,  they  made  a  sudden  sortie.  The 
Wallisi  were  surprised  and  took  to  flight.  Out 
of  thirty  thousand  at  least  a  third  were  killed 
and  the  rest  threw  down  their  arms.  Although 
the  whole  country  was  cleared  of  the  enemy 
Galba  decided  to  winter  elsewhere,  and  having 
burnt  the  town,  he  led  his  troops  undisturbed 
down  the  Rhone  through  the  Nantuati  along 
the  lake  into  that  of  the  Allobrigi. ' ' 

In  the  years  thirty-seven,  thirty-six  and 
thirty-four  b.  c.  the  Wallisi  defeated  the 
Romans,  but  under  Augustus,  in  the  year 
seven  b.  c,  they  were  conquered  in  turn.  Au- 
gustus treated  them  humanely  and  left  them  to 
govern  themselves  though  procurators  were 
sent  among  them  to  collect  tribute.  In  twenty- 
two  a.  d.  Octodurus  was  given  the  rights  of  a 
free  city  and  had  the  protection  of  the  Roman 
law :  this  was  a  great  incentive  to  trade  and  it 
became  the  capital  and  flourished.     Claudius 


344  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

made  it  an  imperial  market-town  and  gave  it 
the  name  of  Forum  Claudi  Vallensium.  In 
forty-seven  the  pass  over  the  Great  Saint- 
Bernard  was  made  into  a  highway  and  pro- 
vided with  mile-stones  clear  down  to  Vevey. 
Relics  of  this  can  still  be  seen  here  and  there, 
now  high  above  the  pass,  now  following  the 
Dranse,  and  the  natives  call  it  still  la  route 
romaine. 

Back  of  Martigny-ville  along  the  Dranse  is 
a  broad  field  with  morasses;  it  belonged  to  the 
Abbey  of  the  Great  Saint-Bernard.  It  had  lit- 
tle value  even  as  pasturage  as  its  surface  was 
covered  with  all  sorts  of  rubbish  and  scattered 
stones.  In  1874  the  artist,  Raphael  Ritz,  was 
making  excavations  near  the  so-called  tresor 
de  la  Deleyse.  There  was  found  the  relics  of 
a  small  amphitheatre  with  bones  and  teeth  of 
wild  animals  which  had  been  slaughtered  there 
"  to  make  a  Roman  holiday."  "  Aux  Mo- 
rasses "  gave  up  the  remains  of  a  colossal 
bronze  statue  with  gilded  garment,  a  huge  ox- 
head,  a  laurel  wreath  with  fine  bronze  leaves, 
smashed  with  blows  from  an  ax  and  then  sunk 
into  the  thick  miry  soil.  It  is  supposed  that 
early  Christians  may  have  treated  these  ob- 
jects in  such  a  manner  because  they  regarded 
them  as  idols. 


To  Chamonix  345 

In  1895  systematic  excavations  were  insti- 
tuted and  a  wall  sixty-three  by  thirty-one 
meters  was  discovered.  It  was  the  remains  of 
a  basilica  which  served  as  a  trading-station 
or  custom-house,  while  in  front  of  it  was  the 
forum  where  once  mingled  Roman  merchants, 
citizens,  soldiers,  officials,  priests  and  natives. 
It  was  supported  by  thirteen  large  columns. 
On  both  sides  of  the  square  or  piazza  were  nar- 
row wings,  each  furnished  with  stalls  for  mer- 
chants and  smiths.  In  front  ran  the  Roman 
road,  meant  to  last  for  all  time ;  it  is  still  here 
and  there  visible  running  up  the  valley.  It  was 
paved  with  large  irregular  stones.  Along  the 
southwest  wing  were  a  row  of  columns  with 
enormous  pedestals.  The  great  building  was 
divided  into  three  halls.  One  ending  in  a  semi- 
circle, like  the  letter  D,  had  a  place  for  the 
statue  of  a  god.  In  the  north  central  wall  were 
eight  pilasters  and  in  the  niches  skeletons  were 
found. 

Next  to  this  was  still  another  large  building 
and  beyond  it  was  a  private  dwelling  with 
marble  floor,  marble  dado  and  painted  walls. 
Any  number  of  coins  dating  from  the  year  one 
till  three  hundred  and  fifty  a.  d.  were  picked 
up.  These  buildings  were  covered  with  hollow 
tiles ;  and  the  hewn  stones  for  the  columns,  the 


346  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

door-sills,  the  curb-stones,  were  all  brought 
from  the  Jura.  Some  of  the  marble  came  from 
Italy,  some  from  Greece;  there  was  even  por- 
phyry from  Egypt.  All  about  Martigny  were 
found  these  wonderful  remains  of  Roman  occu- 
pation. One  capital  of  a  temple  was  of  colossal 
dimensions.  They  had  drinking-water  piped 
to  the  city. 

At  La  Batiaz,  where  stands  the  old  castle 
that  belonged  to  the  Bishop  of  Sion,  but  was 
dismantled  nearly  four  hundred  years  ago, 
stood  a  Eoman  watch-tower  and  not  far  away 
the  graveyard  was  found  among  the  vineyards 
of  Ravoire.  We  saw  an  inscription  which  was 
intensely  interesting:  — 

SALVTI.SACRVM 

FOROCLAVDIEN 

SES.VALLENSES 

CVM 
T.POMPONIO 

VICTORE 

PROC.AVGVSTO 

RVM 

This  signified  that  Titus  Pomponius  had, 
with  the  aid  of  the  inhabitants,  erected  an  altar 
to  the  Goddess  of  Safety.  It  dated  back  to  the 
time  of  Marcus  Aurelius,  the  good  emperor. 


To  Chamonix  347 


At  that  day  Wallis  (which  it  must  be  remem- 
bered is  still  preserved  in  the  very  name  Vaud) 
was  united  under  the  same  government  with 
the  Graian  Alps.  The  same  Titus  Pomponius, 
together  with  his  family,  is  found  mentioned 
on  an  altar  to  the  god  Sylvanus  as  a  thank- 
offering  for  the  conclusion  of  his  term  of  serv- 
ice, and  it  preserves  a  poem  addressing  the  god 
as  hiding  in  the  foliage  of  the  sacred  ash-tree, 
as  the  protector  of  the  lofty  green  luxuriant 
forest.  It  thanks  him  for  having  brought  them 
from  a  far  land  and  over  the  immovable  moun- 
tains of  the  Alps  amid  the  sweet  perfumes 
of  the  bushes ;  it  says :  —  "I  performed  the 
duties  of  the  office  conferred  upon  me.  Lead 
me  and  mine  back  to  Rome,  and  let  us  under 
thy  protection  cultivate  Italian  fields.  I  vow 
that  I  will  plant  a  thousand  mighty  trees  to 
thee." 

The  Bishop  Theodoras  lived  here  in  381  a.  d. 
The  Theodule  pass  is  named  for  him.  He  built 
a  Christian  basilica  on  the  site  of  the  heathen 
temple.  But  the  Dranse  overflowed  it  and  cov- 
ered it  deep  with  mud  and  stones.  Fire  finished 
it,  and  now  all  that  is  left  of  it  is  ashes,  broken 
tiles,  melted  glass  and  bits  of  metal. 

Martigny  is  another  of  the  towns  in  which  I 
should  like  to  spend  a  month.     There  are  so 


348  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

many  excursions  to  be  taken  from  it  as  a  centre 
—  up  the  Arpille,  up  to  the  Pierre  a  Voir  from 
which  one  looks  down  into  two  river  valleys  and 
across  to  the  Bernese  and  Valaisian  Alps  —  a 
splendid  view;  to  La  Dent  de  Morcles,  the 
Pissevache  cascade  and  dozens  of  other  trips 
for  pleasant  days. 

The  geology  here  also  is  particularly  inter- 
esting. Here  the  Rhone  once  more  proved  that 
might  made  right.  He  turned  at  almost  right 
angles  and  stole  into  the  valley  belonging  to 
the  Dranse.  Here  the  glaciers  of  the  ice-age 
polished  the  rock  wall  — "  the  most  remark- 
able example  of  ice-action  in  the  Alps/' 

Above  Martigny  we  find  the  real  and  only 
genuine  valley  of  the  Rhone:  elsewhere  it  is 
a  robber. 

Still  ascending  the  Rhone  valley  we  reached 
Saxon  with  its  picturesque  ruined  castle,  and 
then  crossing  the  Ardon  and  the  Morge  beyond 
Riddes  reached  the  medieval  city  of  Sion  just 
at  sunset.  Approaching  the  famous  old  city  it 
was  like  a  dream  —  the  castles  on  the  hills  so 
kindly  left  by  the  river;  high  up,  the  Chateau 
de  Tourbillon,  where  for  five  hundred  years  the 
princely  bishops  used  to  luxuriate,  looking 
down  on  a  world  of  beauty. 

Across  a  valley  on  a  hill  only  twenty  meters 


PISSEVACHE    CASCADE. 


To  Chamonix  349 


lower  stands  the  old  castle  of  Valeria  taking  the 
place  of  an  earlier  Roman  fort;  its  towers  glit- 
tered in  the  sunlight's  last  rays.  We  went  to 
it  in  the  morning,  and,  on  paying  a  fee,  were 
admitted  to  the  Thirteenth-Century  church  of 
Notre  Dame,  with  its  quaint  Romanesque  capi- 
tals, and  Seventeenth-Century  choir-stalls 
elaborately  carved.  And,  of  course,  being  de- 
voted to  antiquities,  we  looked  into  the  cantonal 
museum  next  door.  We  went  also  into  the  Fif- 
teenth-Century Gothic  cathedral  with  its  tower 
six  hundred  years  older;  and  admired  the 
carved  ceiling  in  the  splendid  hall  of  the  Super- 
saxo  mansion. 


CHAPTER   XIX 

A   DETOUR    TO    ZERMATT 

iHOM  should  we  meet  at  the  hotel  at 
Sion  but  my  friend,  Lady  Q.  She 
immediately  recognized  me,  and  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  presenting  to  her 
my  niece  and  her  husband.  She  was  on  her  way 
to  Zermatt  and  she  advised  us  to  leave  the  car 
at  Visp  and  take  the  State  Railway  over  to  the 
region  of  the  Matterhorn.  That  name  amused 
Will.  He  asked  Lady  Q.  if  we  should  not  be 
permitted  to  see»  the  original  Vill  of  the  Visp 
there.  Of  course  Lady  Q.,  being  English,  saw 
his  joke  in  a  second  and  thought  it  very  bad,  as 
we  all  did.  The  result  of  it  was  that  we  asked 
her  to  join  us  on  this  trip.  But  she  was  expect- 
ing friends  from  Geneva  and  therefore  was 
obliged  to  forego  the  pleasure.  So  we  started 
off  without  her,  but  we  adopted  her  advice. 
Just  above  Sion  we  had  a  good  view  of  the 
gorge  through  which  rushes  the  turbulent 
Borgne  coming  down  from  the  wild  Val 
d'Herens.     We   crossed   the   Liene   at   Saint- 

350 


A  Detour  to  Zermatt  351 

Leonard,  and  just  as  we  reached  Sierre  we  saw 
a  company  of  pedestrians  starting  off  for  the 
pleasant  plateau  of  Montana.  I  have  seen  it 
since  standing  up  a  thousand  meters  above  the 
Rhone  valley,  with  its  charming  lakes  reflecting 
the  mountains  beyond  and  its  splendid  view  of 
Mont  Blanc  and  the  Weisshorn  and  the  heights 
between  them. 

Sierre  has  its  interest  to  the  student  of  geol- 
ogy; for  all  around  it  can  be  seen  the  remains 
of  a  tremendous  rock-fall.  It  extended  from 
Pfyn  almost  to  the  mouth  of  the  Liena.  It 
dammed  up  the  valley  and  imprisoned  the 
Rhone.  But  the  Rhone,  who  had  learned  what 
he  could  do  with  his  mighty  forces,  grew  more 
and  more  indignant;  he  swelled  his  haughty 
breast,  and,  when  he  knew  the  right  moment 
had  come,  he  put  forth  his  energy  and  burst  his 
way  through.  All  the  forces  of  the  sky  helped 
him;  the  rains  came  to  his  aid,  and  the  tem- 
pests and  the  sun  beat  down  on  the  snow-fields 
and  contributed  to  his  release.  What  a  sight 
it  must  have  been  when  the  rushing  flood  once 
more  went  roaring  down  the  valley !  "What  bil- 
lows, what  sheets  of  sparkling  foam,  what 
crashing  of  overturned  forests  and  jangling  of 
monstrous  boulders  rolled  along  to  be  the  won- 
der of  succeeding  ages! 


352  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

Perhaps  the  pretty  little  ponds  near  Sierre 
are  the  relics  of  this  prehistoric  freshet.  All 
these  regions  too  were  haunted  by  the  ancient 
Kelts.  Many  warriors  were  killed  hereabouts 
and  were  buried  in  graves  even  now  occasion- 
ally detected.  I  saw  a  beautifully  designed 
bronze  sword  which  was  found  in  one  on  the 
hill  of  Tevent. 

Visp  has  three  names :  in  French  it  is  Viege. 
We  admired  the  view  up  the  valley  with  its 
great  snow  pyramid,  the  Balfrin,  more  than 
twice  as  high  as  Mount  Washington.  From 
here  on  Teeth  become  Horns;  there  are  any 
number  of  them:  Schwarzhorn  and  Weisshorn 
and  Rothorn,  and  Faulhorn,  and  Spitzhorn  and 
Magenhorn  and  Trifthorn  and  Mittaghorn  and 
Hohberghorn  and  the  Brunegghorn  and  Tasch- 
horn  —  all  of  them  giants  covered  with  eternal 
snow. 

We  left  the  car  at  a  hotel  garage  and  took 
the  train.  Up,  up  we  climbed  with  the  Visp 
River  brawling  at  our  left.  Then  crossing  it  we 
reached  Stalden  between  the  two  branches  of 
the  Visp  and  with  superb  views.  Here  we  were 
told  was  about  the  limit  of  the  grape-cul- 
ture. One  would  not  think  that  fruit  could 
ripen  so  high  above  the  sea.  The  grade  now 
and  then  becomes  so  steep  that  the  rack  and 


A  Detour  to  Zermatt  353 

pinion  has  to  help  the  engine;  there  are  via- 
ducts —  the  one  over  the  Muhlebach  being  fifty 
meters  high  —  and  tunnels  and  long  passages 
close  to  the  precipices,  now  running  straight 
for  a  short  distance,  then  winding  past  sharp 
corners.  The  gorges  of  Kipfen  and  Selli  are 
cluttered  with  gigantic  blocks  of  gneiss,  over 
and  among  which  the  Visp  makes  its  precipi- 
tous way.  Saint-Niklaus  is  almost  sixteen  hun- 
dred feet  higher  than  Visp,  and  Randa  is  more 
than  a  thousand  feet  higher  than  Saint-Niklaus. 

From  Randa  if  one  wanted  to  stop  there  is  a 
convenient  approach  to  the  Dom,  which  is  said 
to  be  the  highest  mountain  belonging  entirely 
to  Switzerland.  Its  top  is  four  thousand  five 
hundred  and  fifty-four  meters  high  and  it  af- 
fords one  of  the  grandest  views  in  the  Alps. 
There  are,  however,  others  much  more  difficult ; 
the  Edelspitze  on  the  Gabelhorn,  though  four 
thousand  feet  lower,  was  not  conquered  until 
1904;  Professor  Tyndall  was  the  first  to  climb 
the  Weisshorn.  But  that  was  in  1861.  He  was 
nearly  killed  by  the  bombardment  of  rocks  from 
above. 

Above  the  little  hamlet  of  Tasch  the  road, 
after  following  the  right  bank  of  the  Visp, 
crosses  it  near  the  chalets  of  Zermettje,  and, 
gradually   mounting   high    and   higher    above 


354  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

the  river,  it  enters  an  extraordinarily  narrow 
defile,  and,  though  every  one  is  forewarned,  at 
the  end  of  it  comes  the  grand  surprise  —  at  the 
right  the  first  glimpse  of  the  Matterhorn,  or,  as 
good  Swiss  like  best  to  call  it,  Le  Mont  Cervin 
—  just  a  tantalizing  glimpse,  no  more ;  but  who 
would  not  recognize  it,  standing  up  isolated 
and  solitary  like  an  enormously  exaggerated 
Indian  arrow-head,  or  rather  the  flint  from 
which  it  comes? 

If  there  is  any  one  thing  I  detest  in  travelling 
it  is  tunnels ;  they  are  marvellous ;  the  skill  of 
man  in  digging  them,  in  so  calculating  their 
direction  and  their  level  that  though  men  start 
from  opposite  sides  of  a  high  mountain,  as  they 
did  at  Mont-Cenis,  at  the  Loetschberg,  at  the 
Simplon,  and  at  all  the  other  great  mountain- 
bores,  is  beyond  all  praise ;  but  practically  they 
shut  one  off  from  the  light  and  the  wide  hori- 
zons. 

We  were  landed  safely  at  Zermatt  and  for 
two  days  we  had  most  perfect  views  of  that 
wonderful  valley  and  its  king  of  mountains. 
Here  is  the  story  of  its  conquest.  Until  1858 
it  was  regarded  as  unapproachable  —  in  every 
sense  of  the  word.  But  man  is  never  satisfied 
with  the  eternal  negative.  For  seven  years  the 
battle  was  waged,  and,  at  last,  in  July,  1865, 


LE    MONT    CERVIN. 


A  Detour  to  Zermatt  355 

Edward  Whymper,  Lord  Francis  Douglas,  Da- 
vid Hadow  and  Charles  Hudson,  with  three 
guides,  succeeded  in  attaining  the  top.  Whym- 
per related  the  story  of  the  campaign  in  a  vol- 
ume. 

A  high  price  was  paid  for  the  success.  Every 
one  knows  that  it  is  easier  to  climb  than  it  is 
to  descend.  This  is  particularly  true  of  moun- 
tain-excursions. There  is  a  buoyant  exhila- 
ration in  mounting,  especially  for  the  first  time ; 
but  in  addition  to  the  physical  difficulties  of  the 
descent  there  is  the  anticlimax  which  is  moral ; 
so  that  often  the  last  miles  of  the  descent  are 
sheer  agony.  "  While  during  an  enthusiastic 
ascent  the  hope  of  a  steadily  nearing  goal  lifts 
the  climber  over  all  difficulties,  in  descending 
only  the  difficulties  remain,  while  the  fatigue  in- 
creases and  the  interest  diminishes. " 

In  descending  the  Matterhorn  Hadow  lost  his 
footing,  and  tumbled  against  Croz,  who,  not  be- 
ing prepared,  lost  his.  They  took  with  them 
Lord  Francis  and  Hudson.  Had  not  the  rope 
to  which  they  were  attached  broken  probably 
Whymper  and  the  two  guides  Taugwalder, 
father  and  son,  would  have  all  lost  their  lives. 
The  survivors  could  see  the  doomed  four  strug- 
gling vainly  to  stop  the  terrible  glissade.  Then 
they  disappeared  over  the  precipice.    Three  of 


356  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

them  fell  on  the  Cervin  glacier  four  thousand 
feet  below;  Lord  Francis  Douglas's  body  was 
never  recovered.  Bringing  the  tragedy  in 
their  hearts  the  other  three  safely  reached 
Zermatt. 

Three  days  later  Jean  Antoine  Carrel  and 
Jean  Baptiste  Bich  reached  the  top  from  the 
Italian  side  and  they  were  followed  by  Profes- 
sor Tyndall,  who  went  up  by  the  Breuil  route 
and  came  down  to  Zermatt.  He  also  wrote  an 
account  of  it  and  one  of  the  pics  was  named  for 
him.  That  was  in  1868,  and  since  then,  though 
it  is  still  the  most  dangerous  of  the  larger 
peaks,  it  has  been  attained  by  hundreds.  In 
1867  a  young  girl,  the  daughter  of  J.  B.  Carrel, 
reached  within  less  than  a  hundred  meters  of 
the  top,  and  the  point  where  she  was  blocked 
has  been  named  for  her  Le  Col  de  Felicite.  Miss 
Lucy  Walker,  of  England,  was  the  first  woman 
to  master  the  peak.  She  went  up  from  the  Zer- 
matt side,  returning  the  same  way,  July  22, 
1871.  Miss  Brevoort,  an  American,  was  the 
first  woman  to  make  what  is  called  the  "  tra- 
verse "  from  Switzerland  to  Italy;  that  was 
also  in  1871. 

The  year  before,  Javelle,  with  only  one  guide, 
Nicolas  Kubel,  reached  the  top  by  remarkable 
good  fortune,  for  no  other  ascent  was  made  that 


A  Detour  to  Zermatt  357 

whole  year.  At  the  edge  of  the  Gorner  glacier 
they  found  a  bunch  of  Alpine  roses,  the  highest 
arborescent  vegetation  they  encountered.  Like 
many  other  persons,  Javelle  supposed  that 
Mont  Cervin  was  "  a  simple  giant  pyramid 
unique  in  the  boldness  of  its  form,  the  hugeness 
of  its  bulk,  the  pride  of  its  isolation."  It  is 
really,  as  Mr.  Coolidge  says,  "  the  butt  end  of 
a  long  ridge,"  and  not  an  isolated  mass  rising 
above  a  glacial  plateau.  When  they  reached  the 
arete  connecting  the  Hornli  with  the  base  of 
the  Cervin  they  rested  for  an  hour. 

When  they  reached  the  first  wall  of  the  pyra- 
mid a  fierce  north  wind  began  to  blow,  but  they 
scaled  the  rocks  and  then  had  to  walk  along  an 
icy  arete.  When  they  got  about  half-way  "  the 
sound  of  a  dull  rumbling  "  reached  them  from 
above.  It  was  the  jealous  Spirit  of  the  Moun- 
tain who  was  trying  to  bombard  them  with 
stones.  They  had  just  time  to  flatten  them- 
selves against  the  crag,  which,  fortunately, 
hung  over  them.  Great  rocks  and  boulders 
bounded  within  a  meter  of  their  heads;  for 
half  an  hour  the  baffled  Spirit  kept  up  his  at- 
tack and  then  gave  it  up. 

Visitors  like  ourselves,  looking  up  to  the  Cer- 
vin, see  a  long  couloir  which  looks  smooth  and 
easy.    Javelle  says  that  it  is  cut  up  by  veritable 


358  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

ravines  plowed  by  avalanches  or  worn  in  the 
strata  of  the  rock,  so  that  the  whole  surface  is 
far  more  rugged  than  it  appears.  The  adaman- 
tine gneiss  with  strata  of  serpentine  schist 
wears  but  slowly ;  but  sometime  the  proud  apex 
will  be  undermined  and  fall  with  a  world-sha- 
king crash. 

After  they  had  climbed  with  much  difficulty 
and  fatigue  for  about  an  hour  they  discovered 
the  hut  which  some  enterprising  guides  had 
constructed  of  planks,  walled  up  with  stones. 
For  a  hundred  feet  the  precipice  is  perpendic- 
ular and  to  reach  it  they  had  to  cling  with  their 
fingers  to  the  roughness  of  the  rock.  It  is  at 
a  height  of  more  than  thirty-eight  hundred 
meters. 

They  reached  it,  and,  while  the  guide  was 
preparing  supper,  Javelle  went  out  to  a  hump 
in  the  crag  to  enjoy  the  spectacle:  — 

"  My  eyes  turned  first  of  all  toward  the 
summit  of  Le  Cervin.  The  tawny  head  of  the 
colossus  rose  just  above  us.  Through  the  crys- 
talline air  of  those  upper  regions  it  seemed 
scarcely  five  hundred  feet  away  and  the  rock 
stood  out  in  startling  ruggedness.  The  mighty 
flank  of  the  pyramid,  tremendously  seamed  and 
naked,  lay  before  me:  Below  lay  the  lonely 
white  plains  of  the  Furgg  and  the  Theodule 


MONTE    ROSA. 


A  Detour  to  Zermatt  359 

glaciers;  in  front  beyond  them  Monte  Rosa 
tossed  up  its  magnificent  cluster  of  peaks.  .  .  . 

"  From  the  hut  on  Le  Cervin  no  disrespect 
to  Monte  Rosa  is  possible.  The  true  sovereign 
is  restored  to  rank  and  position.  The  moun- 
tain is  seen  to  be  vast,  mighty,  magnificent  as 
it  is  not  from  any  other  point  of  view;  its 
rivals  are  humbled,  and  its  summit,  gracious 
and  noble  rather  than  haughty,  shines  unques- 
tionably the  highest  of  all  in  the  sky." 

Then  came  the  sunset :  — 

"  The  vast  triangular  shadow  of  Le  Cervin 
stretched  before  us  across  the  Furgg  and  the 
Theodule  glaciers  as  far  as  the  Gorner  glacier. 
At  our  left  the  Zermatt  valley  already  lay  in 
a  bluish  darkness;  it  seemed  as  if  the  night 
were  emerging  from  those  depths.  A  moment 
later  and  the  whole  amphitheater  of  snow- 
covered  cliffs  shone  with  a  divine  glory.  Only 
two  tints,  but  those  graduated  in  a  thousand 
delicate  shades,  were  used  in  this  mighty  paint- 
ing. One  was  a  soft  deep  azure,  the  azure  of 
the  invading  shadows;  the  other  a  pure  ethe- 
real gold  flung  forth  by  the  last  rays  of  the 
sun.  In  the  sky  the  two  tints  intermingling, 
shed  a  splendid  violet  reflection  on  the  ze- 
nith." 

A  slight  hint  at  the  dangers  to  which  the 


360  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

climber  is  exposed  was  afforded  just  before 
they  had  left  the  couloir  for  the  shoulder.  A 
projecting  knob  on  which  they  had  set  foot 
slipped  away  and  went  bounding  down  the  side 
a  thousand  meters:  "  The  Cervin  counted  one 
more  wrinkle!  " 

When  they  reached  the  arete  they  had  their 
last  chance  for  resting:  —  "  Before  us  towered 
the  escarpment  of  rugged  red  rocks  and  above 
them  the  last  heights  of  Le  Cervin,  the  crest  of 
which  was  invisible.  On  both  sides  of  the  arete 
were  blood-curdling  abysses.  Seated  on  a  nar- 
row ridge,  surrounded  by  precipices  and  near 
the  scene  of  one  of  the  most  tragic  of  Alpine 
accidents,  we  passed  in  silence  one  of  those 
moments  that  refuse  to  be  forgotten.  About 
a  hundred  meters  higher,  on  the  steep  slope, 
must  have  occurred  the  fall  of  the  four  unfor- 
tunates who  were  dashed  to  pieces  during  the 
first  ascent.  I  tried  to  revisualize  that  dread- 
ful drama.  I  failed ;  the  abyss  had  resumed  its 
eternal  silence.  What  meant  to  it  the  fall  of 
those  four  men,  full  of  life,  youth  and  intelli- 
gence? Only  the  least  of  the  avalanches  that 
furrow  it  in  a  season." 

The  two  men  roped  themselves  together,  and 
using  the  extremest  care  to  get  a  foothold 
either  in  the  ice  or  on  bosses  of  the  rock,  they 


A  Detour  to  Zermatt  361 

mounted  to  the  very  edge  of  the  vertical  wall 
which  measured  the  whole  height  of  the  Cervin. 
The  summit,  says  Javelle,  is  only  the  culmi- 
nating point  of  a  sharp,  notched  arete  about  a 
hundred  meters  long.  On  the  south  side  is  a 
frightful  precipice  out  of  sight.  "  It  is  impos- 
sible to  stand  on  the  slender  summit;  its  crest 
is  too  sharp  and  the  wind  playing  over  it  usu- 
ally crowns  it  with  needles  of  ice.  With  his 
ax  Knubel  made  a  hole  in  the  ice  a  little  lower 
down.  This  was  our  seat,  and  what  monarch 
ever  had  such  a  throne? 

11  All  around  the  summit  lay  an  immense 
bottomless  void,  above  which  stood  the  circle 
of  the  giants  of  the  Valais  —  Monte  Rosa  and 
her  proud  rivals,  the  Mischabel,  the  Weisshorn, 
the  Rothorn,  La  Dent  Blanche;  then  all  the 
Alps  with  their  maze  of  gigantic  ramifications 
from  the  Viso  group  to  considerably  beyond  the 
Ortler,  an  innumerable  army  of  glittering  or 
somber  peaks,  the  immense  undulating  line  of 
which  was  lost  in  the  blue  at  the  two  ends  of 
the  horizon.  To  the  north  extended  the  un- 
broken profile  of  the  Jura;  then  beyond, 
merging  into  the  sky,  the  hills  of  France 
toward  the  Haute-Champagne  or  the  Franche- 
Comte." 

After  half  an  hour  on  the  peak,  Javelle  and 


362  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

his  guide  started  back  and  in  safety  reached  the 
valley  of  Zermatt.  Since  then  one  might  almost 
say  familiarity  with  that  wonderful  peak  has 
bred  contempt.  Javelle,  himself,  in  a  later  ar- 
ticle describing  another  ascent,  complains :  — 
1 '  To-day  alas !  for  the  true  lovers  of  the  Cer- 
vin,  the  whole  of  this  side  of  the  noble  moun- 
tain seems  to  be  profaned." 

Already  it  has  been  planned  to  build  a  rail- 
way up  Le  Cervin.  The  day  of  conquering 
mighty  peaks  in  the  Alps  is  past.  Scarcely  one 
is  now  left  for  the  adventurer  to  grapple  with 
and  the  Alpine  guides  are  finding  profitable 
fields  in  the  vastly  mightier  mountains  of  the 
Himalaya  or  the  Canadian  Rockies. 

For  the  old  and  the  lazy,  for  delicate  women, 
the  electric  cars  that  climb  Mont  Blanc,  and  so 
many  others  of  the  Alpine  mountains,  give  the 
effect  of  the  height  and  the  enormous  stretch 
of  horizon;  but  still,  even  though  the  Alpine 
Club  builds  shelters  and  attache",  aerial  ladders 
and  climbing  chains,  there  is  something  exhila- 
rating in  the  actual  climbing  of  lofty  mountains, 
and  that  the  danger  is  not  wholly  eliminated  is 
shown  by  the  reports  that  come  every  summer 
of  some  unfortunate  parties  who  try  to  "ne- 
gotiate "  those  jealous  giants  of  the  skies. 
And  when  one  is  standing  or  sitting  on  one  of 


A  Detour  to  Zermatt  363 

their   peaks   one   can   say  with.  John   Stuart 
Blackie : — 

"  I  love  the  eye's  free  sweep  from  craggy  rim; 
I  love  the  free  bird  poised  at  lofty  ease 
And  the  free  torrent's  far  up-sounding  hymn; 
I  love  to  leave  my  littleness  behind 
In  the  low  vale  where  little  cares  are  great." 


CHAPTER   XX 

THE   VALE   OF    CHAMONIX 

[E  saw  everything  that  there  was  to 
see  at  Zermatt  —  the  relics  of  the 
early  climbers  in  the  little  museum; 
the  pathetic  graveyard  where  the 
victims  of  their  mad  ambition  are  commemo- 
rated, and  the  Imfeld  relief-maps  of  the  sur- 
rounding region.  Here  I  had  my  first  experi- 
ence in  what  one  might  call  mountain-climbing 
by  proxy;  we  took  the  electric  train  up  to  the 
Gornergrat.    Sir  John  Lubbock  says:  — 

"  It  is  impossible  to  give  any  idea  in  words 
of  the  beauty  of  these  high  snow-fields.  The 
gently  curving  surfaces,  which  break  with  ab- 
rupt edges  into  dark  abysses  or  sink  gently  to 
soft  depressions  or  meet  one  another  in  ridges, 
the  delicate  shadows  in  the  curved  hollows,  the 
lines  of  light  on  the  crests,  the  suggestion  of 
easy  movement  in  the  forms,  with  the  sensation 
of  complete  repose  to  the  eye,  the  snowy  white 
with  an  occasional  tinge  of  the  most  delicate 

364 


The  Vale  of  Chamonix  365 

pink,  make  up  a  scene  of  which  no  picture  or 
photograph  can  give  more  than  a  very  inade- 
quate impression,  and  form  an  almost  irre- 
sistible attraction  to  all  true  lovers  of  nature." 

It  is  perfectly  true:  words  fail  to  express 
one's  feelings. 

Just  earth  and  rocks  and  snow  and  ice  and 
light  and  shade.  What  power  must  have  been 
exerted  to  squeeze  those  mighty  strata  and 
tip  them  up  and  bend  them  over  and  hurl  them 
against  one  another.  Everything  is  relative, 
and  I  find  I  can  imagine  what  an  ant  might 
feel  when  climbing  over  the  furrows  of  a  plowed 
field.  The  earth  itself  seems  so  small  when 
poised  in  the  universe  —  just  a  microscopic 
atom,  and  the  mightiest  mountains  are  only  the 
wrinkles  of  an  apple.  Yet  here  we  were  ten 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea  with  a  vast  pano- 
rama of  mountains  on  every  side.  More  than 
a  score  of  Horns,  besides  Jochs  and  Cime  and 
Grats  and  Gabeln;  twenty  of  them  are  more 
than  four  thousand  meters  high;  Monte  Rosa 
topping  them  all  with  her  four  thousand  six 
hundred  and  thirty-eight  meters.  Somehow 
mountains  do  not  sound  so  high  when  expressed 
in  meters,  but  one  does  not  belong  to  Metrical 
Societies  without  being  consistent!  A  dozen 
immense  glaciers  pour  their  cracking,  dazzling, 


366  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

monstrous  streams  of  liquid  solidity  down,  for 
ever  changing  yet,  like  rivers  of  waters,  for  ever 
the  same.  Year  after  year  appear  the  great 
crevasses  where  the  glacier  tumbles  over  a 
precipice  and  becomes  a  cataract  of  ice,  yet 
remains  the  same.  Verily  the  mountains  them- 
selves, seen  by  the  great  eye  of  the  Father  of 
Time  are  moving;  he  sees  that  the  whole  crest 
of  the  Alps  is  slowly  moving  northward:  this 
is  proved  by  the  fact  that  one  side  is  steeper 
than  the  other. 

It  is  rather  amusing  to  see  how  many  per- 
sons have  been  disgusted  with  their  first  view 
of  a  glacier.  They  are  covered,  in  many  cases, 
with  mud,  and  look  dirty  and  unkempt.  They 
plow  out  the  rocks ;  great  showers  of  boulders 
fall  down  on  them,  and  especially  where  they 
have  flowed  down  to  the  melting  level  and  be- 
gun to  deposit  their  freight,  making  what  are 
called  terminal  moraines,  they  are  not  white 
and  glittering.  But,  seen  from  a  distance,  the 
glaciers  of  the  high  Alps  are  most  impressive. 
And  to  think  that  a  very  slight  lowering  of  the 
average  temperature  of  the  year  would  bring 
these  great  cold  snaky  monsters  over  the  habi- 
tations of  men  again.  The  ice-age  might  once 
more  be  renewed  and  wipe  out  our  civilization. 

"While  we  were  on  the  Gornergrat  I  saw  and 


ON    THK    GLACIER. 


The  Vale  of  Chamonix  367 

heard  an  avalanche.  A  small  snow-ball  may 
start  one.  Roaring  louder  and  louder  with 
thunderous  echoes  it  hurls  itself  down  the  steep 
incline,  and,  like  a  colossal,  titanic  bomb-shell, 
it  bursts  into  the  valley.  The  noise  made  by  a 
snow-slide  from  a  steep  roof  is  startling 
enough,  but  imagine  it  multiplied  a  thousand 
times,  —  as  if  the  top  of  the  world  were  tum- 
bling. It  is  impossible  to  estimate  the  thou- 
sands of  tons  of  ice  and  snow  that  go  dashing 
and  crashing  and  smashing  into  the  valleys.  It 
is  Nature  engaged  in  her  slow  but  certain  work 
of  destruction.  The  bombardment  of  the  ava- 
lanches is  one  of  the  most  impressive  phenom- 
ena in  the  mountains. 

I  do  not  know  whether  Tennyson  ever 
climbed  to  the  Gornergrat,  but  he  gives  a  pic- 
ture of  Monte  Rosa  which  is  well  worth  remem- 
bering :  — 

"  I  climbed  the  roofs  at  break  of  day; 
Sun-smitten  Alps  before  me  lay, 

I  stood  among  the  silent  statues 
And  statued  pinnacles,  as  mute  as  they. 

"  How  faintly  flushed,  how  phantom  fair 
Was  Monte  Rosa  hanging  there 

A  thousand  shadowy-penciled  valleys 
And  snowy  dells  in  the  golden  air." 


368  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

I  had  a  pensive  longing  to  spend  the  whole 
summer  among  this  giant  Brotherhood  of 
peaks,  making  excursions  to  one  after  another 
—  provided  the  weather  allowed.  From  each 
summit,  from  each  col  and  shoulder,  there 
would  be  a  different  aspect  of  mountain  sce- 
nery ;  different  cloud-effects ;  different  sunsets ; 
different  risks  and  different  escapes.  I  do  not 
know  how  many  chances  there  are  of  putting 
hundred  franc  notes  into  the  pockets  of  guides. 
But  the  zest  of  discovery  is  gone ;  all  climbing 
now  is  only  imitation  and  repetition,  and  it  is 
of  no  use  to  regret  the  old  days  or  to  repine 
because  one  must  turn  one's  back  on  the  pos- 
sibilities of  adventure. 

We  returned  as  we  came.  As  the  train 
stopped  at  Stalden  Will  told  me  of  a  wonderful 
excursion  he  had  enjoyed  the  preceding  year. 
He  and  two  German  friends  of  his,  one  a  pro- 
fessor, the  other  a  doctor,  had  walked  up  to 
Saas-Fee  and  ascended  the  Allalinhorn. 

"  We  had  to  go  down,  before  we  went  up," 
said  Will.  "  There  is  a  bridge  which  crosses 
the  Matter- Visp,  and  after  getting  to  the  other 
side  we  followed  up  through  the  Saastal  by  a 
path  which  gives  you  the  most  enchanting  pic- 
tures of  tumbling  water-falls.  We  spent  the 
night   at   Saas-Grund   and   the   next  morning 


The  Vale  of  Chamonix  369 

early  reached  Saas-Fee,  which,  I  think,  affords 
one  of  the  finest  views  in  Switzerland.  The 
glacier  called  the  Fee  is  perfectly  surrounded 
with  magnificent  peaks  —  I  can't  remember 
half  of  them;  but  they  are  all  from  ten  to 
thirteen  thousand  feet  high.  The  Alphubel  is 
over  fourteen  thousand.  We  took  guides  and 
went  up  the  Allalinhorn.  There  were  six  of  us 
roped  together  and  it  was  over  snow  all  the 
way.  The  pass  is  nearly  twelve  thousand  feet 
up,  and  cold.  But  the  view  from  the  rounded 
summit  well  repaid  us  for  our  pains.  Directly 
across,  so  that  one  could  almost  leap  it,  is  the 
jagged  peak  of  the  Rimpfischhorn,  its  black 
dorsal  fin  sticking  out  of  the  dazzling  snow  as 
ugly,  though  not  so  prominently  uprising,  as 
the  Matterhorn.  Switzerland,"  he  added,  "  for 
a  little  country  has  more  ups  and  downs  in  it 
than  any  other  in  the  world." 

At  Visp  our  Moto  was  waiting  for  us.  Some 
of  the  people  whom  we  met  did  not  believe  that 
we  had  been  permitted  to  ascend  the  Rhone 
valley,  as  it  had  been  at  one  time  closed  to 
motor-cars.  But  either  the  report  of  what  the 
French  are  doing  to  attract  wealthy  travellers 
by  building  La  route  des  Alpes  wholly  in 
French  territory  from  Paris  to  Nice  or  a  real- 


370  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

ization  of  the  direct  loss  of  patronage  caused 
by  illiberal  motor-laws  has  changed  some  of 
the  interpretations  of  them.  In  parts  of  Swit- 
zerland it  is  perfectly  justifiable  to  shut  auto- 
mobiles out.  Where  the  roads  are  narrow  and 
are  used  largely  by  pedestrians  or  for  driving 
cattle  and  there  is  real  danger  it  is  probably  for 
the  interest  of  the  mam7  for  the  few  to  be  sub- 
jected to  restraint.  Even  the  hotel-keepers  of 
the  Grisons  and  of  the  Bernese  Oberland  agree 
that  more  are  benefited  by  excluding  motor-cars 
than  by  admitting  them,  for  there  are  a  thou- 
sand that  go  by  horses  or  on  foot  to  every  hun- 
dred that  come  in  automobiles. 

We  had  to  go  back  to  Martigny,  and  as  we 
were  so  near  we  went  to  see  the  Gorges  du 
Trient.  This  is  a  colossal  fissure  from  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  to  three  hundred  meters  deep, 
and  frequently  not  more  than  a  couple  of 
meters  across.  The  only  access  is  by  a  wooden 
gallery  nearly  half  a  mile  long  hung  on  iron 
cramps  and  supports,  while  far  below  rushes 
the  torrent  with  a  deafening  roar. 

From  Martigny  one  follows  a  zigzagging 
road  over  the  Col  de  la  Forclaz  and  then  passes 
Argentiere  over  the  Col  des  Montets  to  Cha- 
monix.  The  chief  feature  is  the  Tete  Noire 
which  Miss  Havergal,  who  climbed  it,  declares 


The  Vale  of  Chamonix  371 

"is  a  magnificent  high  level  valley  or  gorge, 
winding  for  four  or  five  hours  at  a  good  height 
along  mountains  with  as  picturesque  a  combina- 
tion of  heights  and  depths,  rocks,  torrents,  cas- 
cades, pine  trees,  ferns,  flowers  and  precipices 
as  exists  anywhere." 

For  the  first  time  on  our  trip  we  had  trouble 
with  the  Moto.  First  one  of  the  front  tires 
burst  with  a  report  that  woke  the  echoes  like 
a  gun.  Then,  when  going  down  a  long  incline, 
the  brakes  caused  so  much  friction  that  we 
nearly  got  on  fire ;  but  by  waiting  for  a  while 
the  danger  was  passed  and  we  reached  Cha- 
monix safely. 

The  name  of  Chamonix,  or,  as  the  French 
spell  it,  Chamouni,  is  derived  from  the  Latin 
campus  munitus,  champs  muni,  the  fortified 
field.  The  earliest  mention  of  the  name  in  the 
modern  form  is  found  in  an  atlas  of  1595;  but 
in  1091,  Aymon,  Count  of  Geneva,  bestowed  the 
valley  on  the  Benedictine  Abbey  of  Saint- 
Michel  de  la  Cluse;  it  was  then  called  by  its 
Latin  name.  Three  hundred  years  later  a  pri- 
ory was  founded  there,  which,  in  the  early  part 
of  the  Sixteenth  Century,  came  into  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  Canons  of  Sallanches,  who  so  mal- 
treated the  peasantry  that  at  last  they  rose  in 
revolt,  destroyed  the  monastery  and  wrought 


372  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

their  freedom.  It  was  occasionally  visited  in 
the  Seventeenth  Century,  but  in  1741  two  Eng- 
lishmen, Pococke  and  Windham,  with  six  others 
and  five  servants,  went  there  from  Geneva. 
The  feud  between  the  Chamoniards  and  the 
monks  of  Sallanches  had,  in  some  way,  made 
people  believe  that  the  valley  was  inhabited  by 
brigands,  and  the  Pococke-Windham  party 
went  armed  and  camped  out  in  the  open  air 
with  sentinels  posted.  Their  bravery  is  com- 
memorated in  the  "  Englishmen's  Stone," 
bearing  their  names  and  the  date.  The 
following  year  Pierre  Martel,  the  son  of  a 
Geneva  shoemaker,  hearing  about  their  won- 
derful adventures  among  the  glaciers,  was 
moved  to  see  them  for  himself.  He  wrote  an 
account  of  his  journey  and  for  the  first  time 
gave  a  name  to  Mont  Blanc.  What  a  pity  he 
did  not  give  a  better  one!  He  set  the  fashion 
of  visiting  "  the  glaciers  "  and  people  began 
to  come  more  and  more,  to  see  them  and  to 
study  them. 

The  young  scientist  De  Saussure  was  one 
of  the  first  to  make  a  study  of  glacial  action. 
Then,  in  1762,  the  young  Due  d'Enville  made  a 
study  of  the  glaciers  of  Savoy,  and  wrote  an 
interesting  account  of  them,  which  may  be 
found  in  the  Annuaire  du  Club  Alpin  for  1893. 


The  Vale  of  Chamonix  373 

Seventy  years  later  Professor  Forbes  began 
to  make  scientific  studies  of  the  motion  of  the 
glaciers  and  was  the  first  to  discover  that  they 
were  really  rivers  of  ice  moving  like  other 
rivers,  faster  in  the  centre  than  at  the  sides. 
He  calculated  that  their  daily  progress  was 
ten  inches  near  the  top,  twenty-five  inches 
near  the  bottom,  at  the  centre,  and  sixteen 
inches  at  the  sides.  He  discovered  in  the  ice, 
fragments  of  wood  which  were  recognized  as 
belonging  to  a  ladder  which  De  Saussure  had 
left  at  the  upper  end  of  the  Mer  de  Glace  in 
1788.  They  had  been  brought  down  five  thou- 
sand meters  in  forty-five  years.  In  1837  Louis 
Jean  Kodolphe  Agassiz,  whom  America  claims 
as  one  of  her  glories,  though  he  was  born  on 
Lake  Morat  "  In  the  pleasant  Pays  de  Vaud," 
read  a  paper  before  the  Helvetic  Society  of 
Natural  Sciences  meeting  at  Neuchatel,  in  which 
he  propounded  the  now-accepted  theory.  As  it 
was  opposed  he  made  tests  of  the  motion  of  the 
glaciers  at  Chamonix,  at  Zermatt  and  near  the 
Grimsel-Pass.  He  spent  a  number  of  years 
in  this  work,  assisted  by  Count  de  Pourtales 
and  others.  All  sorts  of  tests  were  made 
but  the  proof  of  time  is  absolutely  convin- 
cing. 

Thus  in  1820  a  party  had  reached  the  upper 


374  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

end  of  the  Grand  Plateau  and  were  just  start- 
ing up  the  "  ancien  passage  "  when  the  snow 
on  which  they  were  climbing  began  to  slide. 
All  of  them  were  swept  down  to  the  edge  of 
the  great  crevasse  which  they  had  safely 
crossed  a  short  time  before.  Three  of  the 
guides  were  swallowed  up  in  it.  In  1861  the 
remains  of  their  bodies  began  to  appear  at  the 
lower  end  of  the  Glacier  des  Bossons,  more  than 
a  kilometer  from  the  place.  Bits  of  clothing,  a 
cooked  leg  of  mutton,  a  forearm  with  its  hand 
came  into  sight.  One  of  the  surviving  guides 
was  present  when  they  were  discovered  and  ex- 
claimed :  —  "  Who  would  have  thought  I  should 
once  more  shake  hands  with  my  good  comrade 
again!  "  These  remains  had  travelled  more 
than  one  hundred  and  fifty  meters  a  year  for 
forty-one  years. 

De  Saussure's  monument  stands  on  the  east 
bank  of  the  Arve;  Balmat's  on  the  other  side, 
near  the  church. 

The  valley  of  Chamonix  is  supposed  to  be 
due  to  glacial  action.  Those  who  have  studied 
it  show  that  it  is  a  part  of  the  great  folding  up 
of  the  Jurassic  strata  nipt  in  between  crystal- 
line rocks  by  the  tremendous  lateral  compres- 
sion to  which  Switzerland  was  subjected  as  the 
earth  cooled  and  shrank.    The  Valais,  the  Ur- 


JAGGED    NEEDLES    AND    PINNACLES    OF    CRUEL    ROCK. 


The  Vale  of  Chamonix  375 

serental  and  the  region  of  the  Vorder  Rhein 
belong  to  the  same  cosmic  cataclysm. 

The  great-great-grandchildren  of  that  pre- 
historic glacier  still  inhabit  the  mountain-val- 
leys. The  greatest  of  them  is  the  Mer  de  Glace, 
on  which  every  visitor  must  set  his  foot. 
Farther  up  the  valley  is  l'Argentiere,  which 
stretches  from  side  to  side  between  the  rugged 
mighty  ridges  that  lift  themselves  into  fantas- 
tic jagged  needles  and  pinnacles  of  cruel  rock. 
It  is  at  least  a  hundred  meters  deep,  and  one 
can  look  down  into  vivid  blue  crevasses  and 
hear  the  rushing  of  the  ever-wearing  waters 
far  below.  The  five  glaciers  make  the  five 
streams  which  the  poets  sing  about.  At  one 
time  the  Glacier  des  Bois  dammed  the  Arve,  but 
in  time  the  persistent  river  cut  through  it,  form- 
ing the  Passage  des  Tines,  which  has  a  height 
of  one  hundred  and  seventy  meters.  The  great 
erratic  blocks  of  granite  scattered  through  the 
valley  are  mute  witnesses  of  the  ancient  days. 
The  eye  that  can  read  will  see  all  along  the 
faces  of  the  cliffs  the  hieroglyphics  of  the 
ice. 

This  is  what  William  Cullen  Bryant  says 
about  the  Arve.  By  the  way,  I  noticed  that 
while  Coleridge  pronounced  it  in  two  syllables, 
Shelley  gives  it  one.    So  does  Bryant :  — 


376  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

"  Not  from  the  sands  or  cloven  rocks, 

Thou  rapid  Arve!  thy  waters  flow; 
Nor  earth  within  its  bosom  locks 

Thy  dark,  unfathomable  wells  below. 
Thy  springs  are  in  the  cloud,  thy  stream 

Begins  to  move  and  murmur  first 
Where  ice-peaks  feel  the  noonday  beam, 

Or  rain-storms  on  the  glacier  burst. 

"  Born  where  the  thunder  and  the  blast, 

And  morning's  earliest  light  are  born, 
Thou  rushest  swoln  and  loud  and  fast 

By  these  low  homes  as  if  in  scorn: 
Yet  humbler  springs  yield  purer  waves; 

And  brighter,  glassier  streams  than  thine, 
Sent  up  from  earth's  unlighted  caves, 

With  heaven's  own  beam  and  image  shine. 

"  Yet  stay!  for  here  are  flowers  and  trees; 

Warm  rays  on  cottage  roofs  are  here, 
And  laugh  of  girls  and  hum  of  bees,  — 

Here  linger  till  thy  waves  are  clear. 
Thou  heedest  not,  thou  hastest  on; 

From  steep  to  steep  thy  torrent  falls, 
Till,  mingling  with  the  mighty  Rhone, 

It  rests  beneath  Geneva's  walls." 

11  That  expression,  '  rests  beneath  Geneva's 
walls,'  seems  to  me  singularly  inappropriate," 
said  I.    ".I  did  not  know  it  rested  anywhere." 

"  By  the  way,"  said  Will,  "  it  is  a  curious 


The  Vale  of  Chamonix  377 

thing:  almost  all  visitors  to  the  Rhone  valley 
remember  the  river  as  a  greyish  muddy-looking 
stream ;  yet  it  is  true,  for  seven  months  of  the 
year  it  runs  with  a  clear  current,  of  a  green- 
ish colour  very  much  like  Niagara's.  I  sup- 
pose it  does  its  work  of  disintegration  mainly 
in  the  summer,  when  it  has  the  help  of  the  sun. ' ' 

Chamonix,  which  so  short  a  time  ago  was 
almost  a  lost  valley,  is  now  the  very  centre  of 
the  mercenary  traffic  in  Nature's  most  marvel- 
lous mysteries.  One  may  reach  dizzy  heights 
now  by  the  railway,  and  there  are  restaurants 
a  mile  above  the  sea. 

My  nephew  happened  to  be  personally  ac- 
quainted with  M.  Fidele  Eugster,  whose  fertile 
brain  devised  a  scheme  for  building  solid  py- 
lons over  which  should  run  an  aerial  line  from 
Chamonix  up  to  the  Aiguille  du  Midi,  three 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty-two  meters 
—  only  a  little  less  than  nine  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  meters  less  than  the  monarch  himself.  He 
happened  to  be  there  himself  and  he  invited 
Will  and  me  to  ride  up  as  far  as  the  construc- 
tion-car went.  Ruth  contented  herself  with 
watching  us  and  taking  a  walk  about  town.  The 
car,  seating  twenty  persons,  starts  from  Cha- 
monix and  swings  up  two  thousand  meters  over 
the  twenty-seven  of  these  immense  pylons  al- 


37S  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

ready  constructed.  They  are  from  twenty-five 
to  seventy-five  meters  apart.  The  power-sta- 
tion, where  there  are  electric  motors  of  seventy- 
five  horse-power  each,  is  near  Pierre  Pointue  at 
a  height  of  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-nine meters.  From  there  over  twenty-four 
more  pylons  a  cable  one  thousand  four  hundred 
meters  long  took  us  to  the  foot  of  the  Aiguille. 
There  we  got  into  a  smaller  basket-car  and 
were  swung  up  to  a  protogen  pinnacle  directly 
opposite  the  Grands  Mulets.  From  there  we 
were  taken  to  the  first  tension-pylon  which 
breaks  the  enormous  stretch  to  the  Col  du  Midi, 
where  the  terminal  station  will  be  constructed. 
It  is  a  tremendous  swoop  of  between  eight  and 
nine  hundred  meters  and  the  last  stathmos  will 
be  nearly  six  hundred  more.  The  car  glissades 
down  the  curves ;  then  the  cable  pulls  it  up  the 
incline.  It  is  like  a  series  of  gigantic  scallops 
but  there  is  no  shock,  no  jar;  only  a  clicking 
as  you  pass  the  pylons. 

Next  to  my  flight  in  the  hydro-aeroplane  this 
was  the  greatest  experience  of  my  life.  What 
can  I  say  of  that  swoop  through  the  air? 
Words  utterly  fail.  Below  lay  the  valley  with 
its  thickly  clustered  hotels  and  houses  and  the 
ramifications  of  the  rushing  rivers  and  streams 
like  veins  in  a  dissected  hand.     Below  us  lay 


The  Vale  of  Chamonix  379 

the  glacier  with  its  seracs  diminished  to  etch- 
ings. All  around  rose  the  haughty  Brother- 
hood scornfully  watching  the  machinations  of 
puny,  mighty-minded  man.  They  know  that 
they  can  sometimes  catch  him  napping,  but  only 
his  body  can  they  hurt.  His  soul  is  bigger  and 
grander  than  their  icy  hearts.  They  can  fling 
down  avalanches  and  hurl  enormous  boulders 
or  bullet-like  stones  at  him,  tearing  themselves 
to  pieces  in  their  blind  fury  to  do  so,  but  here 
he  is  above  them.  They  can't  shake  off  the 
shackles  which  his  genius  and  Ms  power  fasten 
to  their  gigantic  frames.  Atlas  must  bear  the 
Earth  on  his  shoulders  and  there  is  no  Perseus 
to  relieve  him  of  the  weight. 

Compared  to  the  cost  of  some  of  the  other 
Swiss  roads  this  aerial  line  is  comparatively 
inexpensive.  It  has  been  estimated  that  twenty- 
four  million  francs  will  build  it  and  equip  it. 
Its  success  will  doubtless  cause  other  "  inac- 
cessible peaks  "  to  be  harnessed  in  the  same 
way.  All  the  difficulty  and  most  of  the  danger 
—  I  suppose  one  might  be  struck  by  lightning 
or  die  of  heart-failure  on  the  way  up  —  and  a 
vast  amount  of  time,  will  be  eliminated. 

While  we  were  in  the  valley  we  had  a  most 
glorious  sunset.  I  will  not  attempt  to  describe 
the  indescribable;    there  are  no  terms  to  dif- 


380  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

ferentiate  the  tints  that  glowed  on  the  clouds 
and  the  shades  of  lavender  and  violet  and  royal 
purple.  There  is  nothing  more  impressive  than 
to  see  the  outburst  of  cloud  masses  from  a 
mountain-valley  rising  dark  and  stormy  and 
then,  as  it  were,  putting  on  the  panoply  of  their 
royal  state  —  furnished  them  by  their  servant 
the  sun.  I  recalled  Moore's  poem  on  Mont 
Blanc  at  sunset :  — 


"  'Twas  at  this  instant  —  while  there  glowed 

This  last,  intensest  gleam  of  light  — 
Suddenly  thro'  the  opening  road 

The  valley  burst  upon  my  sight! 
That  glorious  valley  with  its  lake 

And  Alps  on  Alps  in  clusters  swelling, 
Mighty  and  pure  and  fit  to  make 

The  ramparts  of  a  godhead's  dwelling. 

"  I  stood  entranced  —  as  rabbins  say. 

This  whole  assembled,  gazing  world 
Will  stand  upon  that  awful  day 

When  the  ark's  light  aloft  unfurled 
Among  the  opening  clouds  shall  shine 
Divinity's  own  radiant  sign! 

"  Mighty  Mont  Blanc,  thou  wert  to  me 
That  minute,  with  thy  brow  in  heaven, 
As  sure  a  sign  of  deity 
As  e'er  to  mortal  gaze  was  given. 


The  Vale  of  Chamonix  381 

Nor  ever,  were  I  destined  yet 

To  live  my  life  twice  o'er  again, 
Can  I  the  deep-felt  awe  forget, 

The  dream,  the  trance  that  rapt  me  then." 

We  went  through  the  paces  demanded  of 
visitors  to  the  valley.  .We  made  excursions  to 
the  Glacier  des  Bossons  especially  to  see  the 
little  lake  which  so  exquisitely  mirrors  Mont 
Blanc  —  so  detestible  the  artificial  ruins  which 
insult  its  beauty !  —  we  even  paid  our  franc  to 
penetrate  the  artificial  grotto  in  the  ice  —  and 
we  went  as  far  as  the  Cascade  du  Dard.  We 
went  also  to  Flegere  for  the  sake  of  its  extraor- 
dinary panoramic  view;  but  I  thought  best  of 
all  was  the  Brevent  which  faces  so  closely  the 
whole  range. 

We  reluctantly  left  the  wonderful  valley  and 
returned  to  Lausanne  by  the  way  of  Cluses, 
where  we  had  our  watches  set,  thence  across  to 
Bonneville,  down  to  Geneva  and  along  the  lake. 
We  were  warmly  welcomed  by  the  three  chil- 
dren who,  however,  had  been  well  looked  after 
by  the  trustworthy  French  bonne. 


CHAPTER   XXI 

HANNIBAL    IN    SWITZERLAND 

FEW  days  later  Will  and  I  got  to 
talking  about  the  ancient  passages  of 
the  Alps.  Hannibal's  was  the  first. 
We  got  out  a  copy  of  Polybius  and 
read  the  simple  narrative  of  that  almost  in- 
credible expedition.  Polybius,  who  was  present 
at  the  destruction  of  Carthage,  had  probably  a 
fairly  accurate  knowledge  of  his  subject;  but 
to  this  day  it  has  not  been  absolutely  decided 
where  the  great  Carthaginian  crossed  the  Alps. 
One  man  believes  he  went  by  the  Little  Mont 
Cenis ;  a  Frenchman  argued  that  he  descended 
into  Italy  by  the  Col  de  la  Seigne;  but  the 
most  convincing  argument,  that  put  forward 
by  William  John  Law,  fixes  the  route  as  from 
Eoquemaure,  where  he  crossed  the  Rhone,  up 
to  Vienne  by  Bourgoin,  the  Mont  du  Chat,  Con- 
stans,  Bourg  Saint-Maurice,  thence  over  the 
Little  Saint-Bernard  to  Aoste  into  Italy. 
We  read  some  of  the  passages  describing  the 

382 


Hannibal  in  Switzerland  383 

difficulties  of  the  route,  attempted  so  late  in  the 
season.    This  is  what  Polybius  says :  — 

"  Hannibal,  having  arrived  upon  the  Rhone, 
straightway  set  about  affecting  the  passage 
where  the  river  ran  in  a  single  stream,  being 
encamped  at  a  distance  of  nearly  four  days' 
journey  from  the  sea.  .  .  . 

"  By  this  time  a  crowd  of  the  barbarians  was 
collected  on  the  opposite  shore  for  the  purpose 
of  preventing  the  passage  of  the  Carthaginians. 
Looking  well  at  these,  and  considering  from 
existent  circumstances  that  it  would  neither  be 
possible  to  force  a  passage  in  the  face  of  so 
numerous  an  enemy  nor  to  keep  his  position 
without  expecting  the  enemy  upon  him  from  all 
sides,  Hannibal,  as  the  third  night  was  coming 
on,  sent  off  a  division  of  the  army  under  com- 
mand of  Hanno,  son  of  the  King  Bomilcar, 
joining  to  them  natives  of  the  country  as  guides. 

"  After  marching  up  the  river  for  a  distance 
of  two  hundred  stadia  and  coming  to  a  place 
where  it  is  divided  into  two  branches  around 
an  island,  they  halted  there;  and,  having  got 
timber  from  a  neighboring  forest,  they  soon 
fitted  out  a  number  of  rafts,  sufficient  for  their 
purpose,  partly  by  framing  the  timbers  to- 
gether, partly  by  tying  them.  On  these  they 
were  safely  ferried  over.  .  .  . 


384  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

"  As  the  fifth  night  came  on,  the  division 
which  had  already  crossed  the  river  pushed  for- 
ward about  the  morning  watch,  against  the  bar- 
barians, who  were  opposite  to  the  Carthaginian 
army.  Hannibal  now,  having  his  soldiers  all 
ready,  was  intent  on  the  work  of  crossing, 
having  filled  the  barges  with  the  light-shielded 
cavalry;  and  the  canoes  with  the  lightest  of 
the  infantry.  .  .  . 

"  The  barbarians,  seeing  the  purpose  of 
their  enemies,  rushed  out  from  their  entrench- 
ments in  a  disorderly  and  confused  manner, 
persuaded  that  they  could  readily  prevent  the 
landing  of  the  Carthaginians.  But  Hannibal, 
as  soon  as  he  perceived  that  his  own  troops 
were  already  coming  down  on  the  farther  side, 
for  they  gave  signal  of  their  approach  by 
smoke,  as  had  been  agreed  upon,  at  once  or- 
dered all  to  embark,  and  for  the  managers  of 
the  ferry-boats  to  make  all  possible  headway 
against  the  current. 

"  This  being  speedily  done,  and  the  men  in 
the  boats  working  with  keen  rivalry  and  shout- 
ing and  striving  against  the  force  of  the  cur- 
rent, .  .  .  the  barbarians  in  front  raised  their 
war-song  and  their  challenges.  The  scene  was 
one  of  terror  and  of  incitement  to  the  conflict. 

"  At  this   moment   the   Carthaginians,  who 


Hannibal  in  Switzerland  385 

had  first  crossed  to  that  side  of  the  river,  sud- 
denly and  unexpectedly  appeared  among  the 
tents  of  the  barbarians,  which  had  been  left 
vacant.  Some  set  fire  to  the  encampment; 
while  the  majority  rushed  upon  those  that  were 
guarding  the  passage  of  the  river.  In  view  of 
an  event  so  utterly  unexpected  the  barbarians 
ran,  some  to  protect  their  tents,  others  to 
resist  the  assailants,  and  fought  with  them. 
Hannibal,  now  that  everything  had  succeeded 
in  accordance  with  his  plan,  straightway  drew 
up  those  that  had  first  got  across,  encouraged 
them,  and  engaged  in  battle  with  the  bar- 
barians. The  Gauls,  from  their  lack  of  order 
and  the  strangeness  of  all  that  had  taken  place, 
soon  turned  and  betook  themselves  to  headlong 
flight. 

"  The  Carthaginian  general  having  con- 
quered both  the  passage  and  his  enemies,  im- 
mediately attended  to  the  transport  of  those 
that  still  remained  on  the  other  shore.  .  .  . 

"  The  transport  of  the  elephants  was  ef- 
fected in  the  following  manner :  —  Having  con- 
structed a  number  of  rafts,  they  strongly  joined 
together  two  of  these,  so  as  to  fit  closely 
one  with  the  other,  and  planted  both  firmly  in 
the  shore  at  the  place  of  embarcation,  the  two 
together  being  about  fifty   feet  wide.     Then, 


386  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

joining  other  rafts  together  in  the  same  way, 
they  attached  these  to  the  former  at  the  outer 
end,  carrying  the  fabric  of  the  bridge  forward 
in  the  line  of  passage;  and,  that  the  whole 
structure  might  not  be  carried  down  the  river, 
the  side  that  was  against  the  stream  they  se- 
cured by  cables  from  the  land,  fastened  to  some 
trees  which  grew  on  the  brink.  When  they  had 
thrown  out  this  bridge  to  the  length  of  two 
plethra  [sixty  meters]  altogether,  they  added 
at  the  end  two  rafts  constructed  more  per- 
fectly than  the  others  and  the  largest  of  all. 
These  were  bound  with  great  strength  to  each 
other;  but  to  the  rest  in  such  a  way  that  the 
fastenings  could  be  easily  severed.  To  these 
they  fixed  a  number  of  towing-lines  with  which 
the  barges  were  to  prevent  their  being  carried 
down  the  river,  and  hold  them  by  force  against 
the  stream,  to  take  over  the  elephants  upon 
them  and  land  them  upon  the  other  side. 

"  After  this,  they  dug  up  and  brought  a 
quantity  of  earth  to  all  the  rafts,  and  spread  it 
till  it  was  level  with,  and  looked  just  like,  the 
road  that  led  over  the  dry  land  to  the  crossing- 
place.  The  elephants  were  used  always  to  obey 
the  Indians  as  far  as  the  edge  of  the  water,  but 
never  as  yet  had  ventured  to  go  into  the  water. 
They  brought  them,  therefore,  along  this  bank 


Hannibal  in  Switzerland  387 

of  earth,  putting  two  females  first;  and  the 
beasts  obeyed  them.  As  soon  as  they  had  got 
them  on  to  the  farthest  rafts,  they  cut  away  the 
fastenings  by  which  these  were  fitted  to  the 
rest,  and,  pulling  on  the  two  lines  with  the 
barges,  they  soon  carried  away  the  beasts  and 
the  rafts  which  bore  them  from  the  earthy  pier. 
At  this  the  animals,  quite  confounded,  turned 
about  and  rushed  in  every  direction;  but,  sur- 
rounded on  every  side  by  the  stream,  they 
shrank  from  it,  and  were  compelled  to  stay 
where  they  were;  and,  in  this  way,  the  two 
rafts  being  brought  back  repeatedly,  most  of 
the  elephants  were  brought  over  upon  them. 
But  some,  through  fright,  leaped  into  the  river 
half-way  across;  and  it  happened  that  all  the 
Indians  belonging  to  these  were  lost,  but  the 
elephants  were  saved,  for,  with  the  power  and 
size  of  their  probosces,  raising  them  out  of  the 
water  and  breathing  through  them  and  spout- 
ing up  all  that  got  into  them,  they  held  out, 
making  their  way  for  the  most  part  erect  be- 
low the  water.  ..." 

Polybius  goes  on  to  tell  how  Hannibal, 
having  got  his  forces  across,  marched  up  into 
the  mountains  by  the  valley  of  the  Rhone  and 
then  began  the  ascent  of  the  Alps.  The  Allo- 
broges  seized  the  heights.    Polybius  says :  — 


388  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

11  The  Carthaginian  general,  aware  that  the 
barbarians  had  preoccupied  the  posts  of  van- 
tage, encamped  his  army  in  front  of  the  heights 
and  waited  there;  then  he  sent  forward  some 
of  the  Gauls  who  were  acting  as  guides,  in  order 
thai  they  might  spy  into  the  designs  of  the 
enemy  and  their  whole  plan. 

"  When  these  men  had  executed  all  that  was 
arranged,  the  general,  learning  that  the  enemy 
steadily  kept  to  their  post  and  watched  the 
passes  through  the  day,  but  that  they  went  to 
their  repose  at  night  in  a  neighboring  town; 
acting  conformably  to  that  state  of  things, 
contrived  this  scheme :  —  he  put  his  force  in 
motion  and  led  them  forward  openly  and,  when 
he  had  come  near  to  the  difficult  places,  he 
pitched  his  camp  not  far  from  the  enemy;  but, 
when  night  came  on,  he  ordered  fires  to  be 
kindled,  and  left  the  greater  part  of  his  troops, 
and,  having  lightly  armed  the  most  efficient 
men,  he  made  his  way  through  the  defiles  in  the 
night  and  took  possession  of  the  positions  pre- 
viously held  by  the  enemy;  the  barbarians 
having  retired  to  the  town  as  they  were  in  the 
habit  of  doing. 

' '  This  had  all  been  done  before  day  came  on, 
and,  when  the  barbarians  saw  what  had  hap- 
pened, they  at  first  abstained  from  any  attack; 


Hannibal  in  Switzerland  389 

but  later,  when  they  observed  the  crowd  of 
beasts  of  burden  and  the  cavalry  winding  out 
from  the  defile  with  much  difficulty  and  in  a 
long-drawn  column,  they  were  encouraged  to 
close  in  upon  the  line  of  march.  As  the  bar- 
barians made  their  attacks  in  many  places,  a 
great  loss  ensued  to  the  Carthaginians,  chiefly 
among  the  horses  and  beasts  of  burden,  yet  not 
so  much  from  the  enemy  as  from  the  nature  of 
the  ground;  for,  as  the  pass  was  not  only 
narrow  and  rugged,  but  also  precipitous,  at 
every  moment  and  at  every  shock  numbers  of 
the  pack-animals  fell  with  their  loads  over 
the  cliffs.  The  shock  was  caused  chiefly  by 
the  wounded  horses,  for  some  of  them,  in  the 
panic  made  by  their  wounds,  dashed  against 
the  baggage-animals,  others  with  a  rush  for- 
ward knocked  over  everything  that  came  in 
their  way  in  this  difficult  passage,  and  com- 
pleted the  immense  confusion. 

"  Hannibal,  observing  this,  and  reflecting 
that,  even  though  the  troops  should  escape,  the 
loss  of  their  baggage  would  certainly  be  at- 
tended with  the  ruin  of  the  army,  advanced  to 
their  aid  with  the  detachment  that  had  occupied 
the  heights  during  the  night.  As  he  made  his 
assault  from  higher  ground,  he  destroyed 
many  of  the  enemy;   but  not  without  suffering 


390  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

equally  in  return,  for  the  disorder  of  the  march 
was  much  increased  by  the  conflict  and  clamor 
of  these  fresh  troops.  But,  when  the  greater 
part  of  the  Allobroges  had  perished  in  the 
conflict,  and  the  rest  had  been  compelled  to  -flee 
for  shelter  to  their  homes,  then,  only,  did  the 
remainder  of  the  beasts  of  burden  and  the 
cavalry  succeed  with  great  toil  and  difficulty  in 
emerging  from  the  pass." 

Hannibal  seized  the  town  and  procured  a  vast 
quantity  of  horses  and  beasts  of  burden  and 
captives,  as  well  as  corn  and  cattle,  sufficient 
to  maintain  his  army  for  several  days,  and  he 
inspired  great  fear  in  all  the  neighbouring 
tribes. 

When  the  army  began  to  advance  again, 
the  tribesmen  came  to  meet  him  with  green 
branches  and  wreaths,  as  a  sign  of  amity, 
and  they  brought  with  them  a  plentiful  supply 
of  sheep  and  goats  for  food.  Hannibal,  though 
inclined  to  be  suspicious,  still  took  them  for 
guides  and  followed  them  into  a  still  more 
difficult  region.  He  had  good  reason  for  his 
suspicions,  for,  as  they  were  passing  through  a 
narrow  defile  where  there  was  very  bad  footing 
and  steep  precipices,  they  made  a  sudden  at- 
tack upon  his  troops.  The  pack-animals  and 
the   cavalry  were   in   the  van;    heavy-armed 


Hannibal  in  Switzerland  391 

troops  guarded  the  rear,  and  attack  from  that 
quarter  was  easily  resisted ;  but  the  natives,  as 
usual,  climbed  up  the  precipices  above  them 
and  rolled  down  boulders  and  flung  stones 
which  made  fearful  havoc. 

Hannibal  was  compelled  by  this  action  of  the 
enemy  to  spend  the  night  near  what  Polybiua 
calls  to  leukopetron,  The  White  Rock.  Now, 
not  far  from  Bourg-Saint-Maurice,  where  we 
had  passed  so  recently,  stands  a  high  rock  of 
gypsum,  and  it  is  called  to  this  day  La  Roche 
Blanche.  Here,  in  all  probability,  Hannibal 
kept  guard  while  during  the  night  the  horses 
and  pack-animals  with  enormous  difficulty  filed 
out  of  the  valley.    Polybius  says :  — 

"  On  the  following  day,  the  enemy  having 
retired,  Hannibal  joined  forces  with  the  cavalry 
and  led  forward  to  the  summit  of  the  Alpine 
pass,  no  longer  meeting  with  any  organized 
body  of  the  barbarians,  but  here  and  there  more 
or  less  harassed  by  them,  losing  a  few  pack- 
animals  from  the  rear  or  from  the  van  when 
the  natives  seized  an  opportunity  to  dash  at 
them.  The  elephants  rendered  Hannibal  the 
greatest  service,  for,  in  whatever  part  of  the 
line  they  appeared,  the  enemy  dared  not  ap- 
proach, being  astounded  at  the  strange  look  of 
the  beasts." 


392  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

By  this  time  it  was  late  in  the  season  and  the 
snow  was  deep  on  the  mountains ;  and  the  sol- 
diers, worn  out  by  their  terrible  toils  and  the 
hardships  to  which  they  were  subjected,  were 
completely  disheartened.  Like  Napoleon  and 
all  the  great  leaders  of  men,  however,  Hanni- 
bal knew  how  to  play  on  their  emotions  and  he 
cheered  them  by  telling  them  that  just  below 
lay  Italy  and  just  beyond  lay  Rome,  their  an- 
cient enemy. 

But  the  descent  was  even  more  difficult  than 
the  way  up.  The  snow  had  fallen  and  rendered 
the  path  over  the  neve  extremely  slippery;  it 
was  impossible  to  proceed.  So  they  had  to  en- 
camp on  the  mountain  ridge,  and,  in  order  to 
widen  the  road,  he  engaged  his  whole  force  in 
building  up  the  precipice. 

"  Thus,"  says  the  historian,  "  in  one  day 
he  completed  a  passage  suitable  for  horses 
and  baggage-animals,  so  that,  carrying  these 
through  at  once,  and  pitching  his  camp  about 
parts  which  had  as  yet  escaped  the  snow,  he 
forwarded  the  army  to  the  pastures.  He 
brought  out  the  Numidians  in  successive 
squads  to  help  in  building  the  road,  and  it  took 
three  days  of  great  difficulty  and  suffering  to 
get  the  elephants  through.  They  had  come  to 
be  in  a  wretched  state  by  reason  of  hunger,  for 


THE    SNOW    WAS    DEEP    ON    THE    MOUNTAINS. 


Hannibal  in  Switzerland  393 

the  higher  points  of  the  Alps,  and  the  parts 
which  reach  up  to  the  heights,  are  utterly  with- 
out trees  and  bare,  because  of  the  snow  remain- 
ing constantly  summer  and  winter ;  but,  as  the 
parts  along  the  middle  of  the  mountain-side 
produced  both  trees  and  bushes,  they  are  quite 
habitable.' ' 

At  last,  however,  after  about  two  weeks  in  the 
mountains,  they  reached  the  plain  of  the  Po. 
Livy  tells  us  that  Hannibal  himself  confessed 
to  having  lost,  from  the  time  he  crossed  the 
Rhone,  thirty-six  thousand  men  and  innumer- 
able horses  and  other  cattle.  How  many  he 
brought  with  him  into  Italy  is  not  known.  An 
exaggerated  estimate  makes  it  a  hundred  thou- 
sand infantry  and  twenty-five  thousand  cav- 
alry ;  but  it  was,  perhaps,  a  third  of  that  num- 
ber. 

The  Roman  poet,  Silius  Italicus,  who  lived  in 
Vergil's  house,  but  not  in  his  immortality,  died 
just  a  hundred  years  after  Christ.  His  verse- 
history,  "  Punica,"  has  come  down  to  us  com- 
plete. He  too  gives  a  description  of  Hannibal's 
wonderful  journey :  — 

"  Lone  Winter  dwells  upon  those  summits  drear 
And  guards  his  mansion  round  the  endless  year. 
Mustering  from  far  around  his  grisly  form 
Black  rains  and  hailstone-showers  and  clouds  of  storm. 


394  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

Here  in  their  wrathful  kingdom  whirlwinds  roam 

And  fierce  blasts  struggle  in  their  Alpine  home. 

The  upward  sight  a  swimming  darkness  shrouds 

And  the  high  crags  recede  into  the  clouds.  .  .  . 

O'er  jagged  heights  and  icy  fragments  rude 

Thus  climb  they  mid  the  mountain  solitude; 

And  from  the  rocky  summits,  haggard,  show 

Their  half-wild  visage,  clotted  thick  with  snow. 

Continual  drizzlings  of  the  drifting  air 

Scar  their  rough  cheeks  and  stiffen  in  their  hair. 

Now  poured  from  craggy  dens,  a  headlong  force, 

The  Alpine  hordes  hang  threatening  on  their  course; 

Track  the  known  thickets,  beat  the  mountain-snow, 

Bound  o'er  the  steeps  and,  hovering,  hem  the  foe. 

Here  changed  the  scene;  the  snows  were  crimsoned  o'er; 

The  hard  ice  trickled  to  the  tepid  gore. 

With  pawing  hoof  the  courser  delved  the  ground 

And  rigid  frost  his  clinging  fetlock  bound : 

Nor  yet  his  slippery  fall  the  peril  ends; 

The  fracturing  ice  the  bony  socket  rends. 

Twelve  times  they  measured  the  long  light  of  day 

And  night's  bleak  gloom  and  urged  thro'  wounds  their  way; 

Till  on  the  topmost  ridge  their  camp  was  flung 

High  o'er  the  steepy  crags,  in  airy  distance  hung." 

"  What  do  you  think  of  that  for  poetry?  " 
I  asked  Ruth,  and  she  replied  that  she  did  not 
wonder  it  was  not  given  to  school-boys  to 
study. 

"  Whose  is  the  translation?  "  she  asked. 

"  Sir  Charles  Abraham  Elton.    But  is  it  fair 


Hannibal  in  Switzerland  395 

to  melt  up  a  golden,  or  even  a  brazen  wine-cup 
and  then  recast  it  in  an  entirely  different  form 
and  call  it  a  piece  of  Eoman  antiquity1?  That 
is  what  these  stiff  and  formal  so-called  heroic 
pentameters  do  with  the  flowing  hexameters  of 
the  original." 

"  I  should  like  to  go  to  the  Saint-Bernard, " 
I  remarked. 

"  It  can  be  easily  arranged,"  said  my  nephew 
and,  as  usual,  in  answer  to  my  wishes  came 
the  realization.  Instead  of  describing  my  own 
not  especially  eventful  visit  to  the  hospice, — 
though  I  could  write  a  rhapsody  about  the 
noble  dogs,  one  of  whom  had  only  a  short  time 
before  made  a  notable  rescue  of  a  young  Ameri- 
can who  had  wandered  off  by  himself,  got  lost 
and  nearly  perished,  —  I  will  give  Rogers's 
vivid  poetic  picture.  The  poet,  in  his  deliberate 
blank  verse,  thus  pays  his  respects  to  the 
monks :  — 

"  Night  was  again  descending,  when  my  mule, 
That  all  day  long  had  climbed  among  the  clouds, 
Higher  and  higher  still,  as  by  a  stair 
Let  down  from  heaven  itself,  transporting  me, 
Stopt,  to  the  joy  of  both,  at  that  low  door, 
That  door  which  ever,  as  self-opened,  moves 
To  them  that  knock,  and  nightly  sends  abroad 


396  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

Ministering  Spirits.    Lying  on  the  watch, 

Two  dogs  of  grave  demeanor  welcomed  me, 

All  meekness,  gentleness,  though  large  of  limb; 

And  a  lay-brother  of  the  Hospital, 

Who,  as  we  toiled  below,  had  heard  by  fits 

The  distant  echoes  gaining  on  his  ear, 

Came  and  held  fast  my  stirrup  in  his  hand 

While  I  alighted.    Long  could  I  have  stood, 

With  a  religious  awe  contemplating 

That  House,  the  highest  in  the  Ancient  World, 

And  destined  to  perform  from  age  to  age 

The  noble  service,  welcoming  as  guests 

All  of  all  nations  and  of  every  faith; 

A  temple  sacred  to  Humanity! 

It  was  a  pile  of  simplest  masonry, 

With  narrow  windows  and  vast  buttresses, 

Built  to  endure  the  shocks  of  time  and  chance; 

Yet  showing  many  a  rent,  as  well  it  might, 

Warred  on  for  ever  by  the  elements, 

And  in  an  evil  day,  nor  long  ago, 

By  violent  men  —  when  on  the  mountain-top 

The  French  and  Austrian  banners  met  in  conflict. 

On  the  same  rock  beside  it  stood  the  church, 
Reft  of  its  cross,  not  of  its  sanctity;  .  .  . 
And  just  below  it  in  that  dreary  dale, 
If  dale  it  might  be  called,  so  near  to  heaven, 
A  little  lake,  where  never  fish  leaped  up, 
Lay  like  a  spot  of  ink  amid  the  snow; 
A  star,  the  only  one  in  that  small  sky, 
On  its  dead  surface  glimmering.    'Twas  a  place 
Resembling  nothing  I  had  left  behind, 
As  if  all  worldly  ties  were  now  dissolved;  — 


Hannibal  in  Switzerland  397 

And,  to  incline  the  mind  still  more  to  thought, 

To  thought  and  sadness,  on  the  Eastern  shore 

Under  a  beetling  cliff  stood  half  in  gloom 

A  lonely  chapel  destined  for  the  dead, 

For  such  as  having  wandered  from  their  way, 

Had  perished  miserably.    Side  by  side, 

Within  they  lie,  a  mournful  company, 

All  in  their  shrouds,  no  earth  to  cover  them; 

Their  features  full  of  life  yet  motionless 

In  the  broad  day,  nor  soon  to  suffer  change, 

Though  the  barred  windows,  barred  against  the  wolf, 

Are  always  open!  —  But  the  North  blew  cold; 

And  bidden  to  a  spare  but  cheerful  meal, 

I  sate  among  the  holy  Brotherhood 

At  their  long  board.    The  fare  indeed  was  such 

As  is  prescribed  on  days  of  abstinence, 

But  might  have  pleased  a  nicer  taste  than  mine; 

And  through  the  floor  came  up,  an  ancient  crone 

Serving  unseen  below;  while  from  the  roof 

(The  roof,  the  floor,  the  walls  of  native  fir) 

A  lamp  hung  flickering,  such  as  loves  to  fling 

Its  partial  light  on  Apostolic  heads, 

And  sheds  a  grace  on  all.    Theirs  Time  as  yet 

Has  changed  not.    Some  were  almost  in  the  prime; 

Nor  was  a  brow  o'ercast.    Seen  as  they  sate 

Ranged  round  their  ample  hearth-stone  in  an  hour 

Of  rest  they  were  as  gay,  as  far  from  guile, 

As  children;  answering,  and  at  once,  to  all 

The  gentler  impulses,  to  pleasure,  mirth; 

Mingling  at  intervals  with  rational  talk 

Music ;  and  gathering  news  from  them  that  came, 

As  of  some  other  world.    But  when  the  storm 


398  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

Rose  and  the  snow  rolled  on  in  ocean-waves, 
When  on  his  face  the  experienced  traveler  fell, 
Sheltering  his  lips  and  nostrils  with  his  hands, 
Then  all  was  changed;  and  sallying  with  their  pack 
Into  that  blank  of  Nature,  they  became 
Unearthly  beings.    '  Anselm,  higher  up, 
Just  where  it  drifts,  a  dog  howls  loud  and  long, 
And  now,  as  guided  by  a  voice  from  Heaven, 
Digs  with  his  feet.    That  noble  vehemence 
Whose  can  it  be  but  his  who  never  erred? 
A  man  lies  underneath!    Let  us  to  work! 
But  who  descends  Mont  Velan?    'Tis  La  Croix. 
Away,  away!    If  not,  alas,  too  late. 
Homeward  he  drags  an  old  man  and  a  boy, 
Faltering  and  falling  and  but  half-awaked, 
Asking  to  sleep  again.'    Such  their  discourse. 

Oft  has  a  venerable  roof  received  me; 
Saint-Bruno's  once  —  where,  when  the  winds  were  hushed, 
Nor  from  the  cataract  the  voice  came  up, 
You  might  have  heard  the  mole  work  underground, 
So  great  the  stillness  there;  none  seen  throughout, 
Save  when  from  rock  to  rock  a  hermit  crossed 
By  some  rude  bridge  —  or  one  at  midnight  tolled 
To  matins,  and  white  habits,  issuing  forth, 
Glided  along  those  aisles  interminable, 
All,  all  observant  of  the  sacred  law 
Of  Silence.    Nor  in  this  sequestered  spot, 
Once  called  *  Sweet  Waters/  now  •  The  Shady  Vale/ 
To  me  unknown;  that  house  so  rich  of  old, 
So  courteous,  and  by  two  that  passed  that  way, 
Amply  requited  with  immortal  verse, 
The  Poet's  payment.  —  But,  among  them  all, 


Hannibal  in  Switzerland  399 

None  can  with  this  compare,  the  dangerous  seat 
Of  generous,  active  Virtue.    What  tho'  Frost 
Reign  everlastingly  and  ice  and  snow 
Thaw  not,  but  gather  —  there  is  that  within 

Which,  where  it  comes,  makes  Summer;  and  in  thought 
Oft  am  I  sitting  on  the  bench  beneath 
Their  garden-plot,  where  all  that  vegetates 
Is  but  some  scanty  lettuce,  to  observe 
Those  from  the  South  ascending,  every  step 
As  tho'  it  were  their  last,  —  and  instantly 
Restored,  renewed,  advancing  as  with  songs, 
Soon  as  they  see,  turning  a  lofty  crag, 
That  plain,  that  modest  structure,  promising 
Bread  to  the  hungry,  to  the  weary  rest." 


CHAPTER   XXII 

ZURICH 

[NE  morning  Ruth  brought  me  my 
mail.  Among  the  letters  was  one 
with  the  postmark  Zurich.  The 
superscription  was  written  in  a  very 
individual  hand,  every  letter  carefully  formed. 
There  is  a  great  deal  in  the  claim  made  that 
handwriting  is  an  index  of  character.  Pre- 
ciseness  shows  in  it;  the  artistic  temperament 
is  betrayed  by  little  flourishes;  sincerity, 
craftiness,  other  virtues,  other  weaknesses.  I 
knew  in  a  moment  that  this  letter  was  from  my 
steamer-friend,  Professor  Landoldt.  It  was 
written  in  delightfully  understandable  yet 
amusingly  erratic  English  and  asked  me  to 
come  and  make  him  a  visit.  It  was  his 
"  vacancies  "  and  he  and  Frau  Landoldt 
would  be  entirely  at  my  service  to  show  me 
the  city  and  its  "  surroundabouts. "  If  I 
should  be  coming  "  by  the  train-up  "  he  would 
meet  me  "  by  the  station." 

It  fell  in  admirably  with  my  plans.    Will  said 

400 


Zurich  401 

that  he  would  send  me  over  in  the  Moto;  he 
had  some  writing  to  do,  else  he  would  go  along; 
but  he  and  Ruth  would  come  for  me  at  the 
end  of  my  visit,  and,  if  the  Professor  and  the 
Frau  Professorin  would  like  to  join  us,  they 
would  take  us  to  the  Dolomites  over  one  of 
the  new  routes  just  opened  to  motor-vehicles. 

What  could  have  been  kinder!  The  last  part 
of  the  proposition  I  gladly  accepted,  but  as 
long  as  I  should  have  to  go  alone  I  thought  it 
best  to  go  by  train,  and  taking  it  leisurely,  stop 
here  and  there  on  my  way.  So  I  wrote  Pro- 
fessor Landoldt  that  I  would  be  with  him  in  a 
week.  I  provided  myself  with  one  of  those 
"  abonnement-tickets  "  which  are  good  for  a 
fortnight  of  unlimited  travel  at  a  cost  of  only 
$18.50  and  allow  one  to  cover  almost  all  the 
roads  of  the  country  —  twenty-eight  hundred 
miles  —  if  one  should  so  desire.  My  photo- 
graph was  duly  pasted  in,  my  signature  ap- 
pended, and  I  was  armed  and  equipped. 

I  went  first  to  Yverdon,  enjoying  the  fine 
view  of  the  Jura,  and  following  with  an  eager 
eye  the  windings  of  the  Thiele  River,  which 
here  proclaims  itself  the  legitimate  child  of  the 
Orbe  and  the  Talent ;  such  a  parentage  assuring 
beauty.  I  stopped  long  enough  there  to  visit 
the  famous  convent  built  by  Duke  Conrad  of 


402  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

Zahringen  before  the  middle  of  the  Twelfth 
Century  and  nearly  eight  hundred  years  later 
famous  as  the  scene  of  Johann  Heinrich  Pesta- 
lozzi's  epoch-making  school,  after  he  had  been 
driven  from  one  place  to  another  by  jealousies 
and  misunderstandings.  It  is  still  used  as  a 
school-building.  Pestalozzi  is  kept  in  memory 
of  the  inhabitants  by  a  monument  near  the  rail- 
way station.  Here,  as  in  many  other  places, 
there  are  interesting  remains  of  the  ancient 
Eoman  occupation. 

Only  two  miles  beyond  —  and  those  two  miles 
offering  an  enchanting  view  down  the  Lake  of 
Neuchatel  —  is  the  famous  town  of  Grandson. 
As  the  Swiss  railway-ticket  allows  perfect  free- 
dom both  of  passage  and  of  stop-off,  I  spent 
the  time  between  two  trains  in  visiting  the 
chateau  of  Baron  de  Blonay,  which  has  a  wide 
view,  and  the  castle  that  gives  its  name  to  the 
place.  It  was  built  in  the  year  1000,  probably 
just  after  it  was  generally  decided  that  the 
world  was  not  coming  to  an  end  immediately. 
Here  took  place  the  great  battle  which  all 
Switzerland  commemorates. 

First  it  was  captured  in  1475  by  the  Bernese ; 
then  recaptured  by  Charles  the  Bold,  of  Bur- 
gundy. Then  on  March  3,  1476,  the  duke  was 
surprised  and  completely  annihilated.    Hughes 


Zurich  403 

de  Pierre,  of  the  Chapter  of  Neuchatel,  who  was 
an  eye-witness,  tells  the  story  of  it  in  his  chron- 
icle :  — 

"  At  the  first  blow  the  castel  of  Valmarcus 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Burgundian.  As  soon 
as  Count  Rudolphe  learned  of  it  he  sent  the 
archers  of  Rhentelin  and  a  part  of  our  men  to 
guard  Pontareuse;  all  the  other  men  from  the 
country  were  thrown  into  Boutry  and  all  along 
the  Areuse,  on  the  farther  bank,  likewise  those 
of  Valengin  and  Landeron.  Nor  must  we  for- 
get seven  boat-loads  of  gentlemen  (gens  de 
bien)  who  came  from  Vully,  Cerlier  and  Bonne- 
ville—  all  of  these  worthy  people  (bons  en- 
fans)  arriving  before  Neuchatel  were  welcomed 
by  the  townspeople  and  immediately  two  Che- 
valiers des  Ligues,  together  with  the  notable 
councillors  of  the  city  and  others,  were  taken 
from  the  said  barques  straight  to  the  Abbey  of 
Bevaix;  a  part  were  lodged  there;  a  part  at 
Chastelard,  Cortailloud  and  at  Pontareuse. 

"  When  this  had  taken  place  the  allies,  pur- 
posing to  bring  aid  and  deliverance  to  their 
friends  at  Grandson,  arrived  at  Neuchatel  in 
great  spirits,  with  songs  of  joy  and  a  formida- 
ble array,  all  of  them  men  of  martial  appear- 
ance, fear-inspiring  and  yet  good  to  see.  Im- 
mediately on  being  informed  by  our  men  of  the 


404  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

disloyalty  and  cruelty  of  the  duke  and  the  mis- 
erable condition  of  the  brave  people  of  Grand- 
son (this  report  going  from  mouth  to  mouth 
from  the  first  to  the  last)  the  said  Messieurs 
des  Ligues  put  on  such  furious  frowns  of  indig- 
nation that  no  words  could  express  it,  all  swear- 
ing (chevaliers  and  the  rest)  that  their  broth- 
ers by  life  and  blood  should  be  avenged  without 
delay  and  that  they  would  not  lose  any  time 
for  refreshment  or  rest  in  the  city,  but  they 
instantly  went  to  lodge  in  Auverme,  Corcelle, 
Cormondreche,  Basle,  Colombier,  Boudry,  Cor- 
taillonds,  Bevaix  and  neighboring  places,  given 
aid  and  welcome  everywhere  in  the  county. 
Then  followed  the  handier e  of  the  city  with 
those  of  the  bourgeoisie  who  remained  there 
(the  most  eager  having  already  taken  their 
positions  on  the  Areuse  and  the  Boudry,  where 
they  were  close  together). 

"  And  the  day  being  the  second  of  March, 
the  companies  (bandons)  being  assembled  in 
warlike  order,  the  Messieurs  des  Ligues  before 
sunrise  on  the  plain  between  Boudry  and  Be- 
vaix resolved  to  dash  immediately  at  the  Bur- 
gundian  without  waiting  longer  for  the  bandi- 
eres  of  Zurich  and  the  horsemen  who  were  late 
and  not  as  yet  arrived  at  Neuchatel. 

"  On  the  other  side,  and  at  the  same  hour, 


Zurich  405 

Duke  Charles  advanced  with  great  noise  of 
trumpets  and  clarions.  Those  of  Schwyz, 
Thun  and  others  (whose  names  we  can  not 
easily  recall)  started  forth  above  Valmarcus. 
The  bandieres  of  Soleure,  Bern,  Lucerne,  Fri- 
bourg,  and  that  of  Neuchatel  which  included 
three  hundred  citizens  and  more,  as  well  as  that 
of  Landeron  and  the  hommes  royes  of  M.  de 
Langern,  led  straight  to  the  plain;  those  of 
Siebenthal,  Unterwald,  Morat,  Biel  and  others 
followed  the  shore  of  the  lake. 

"  Soon  before  the  battle-line  of  the  Ligues 
the  Burgundian  troops  superbly  accoutered 
came  forth ;  there  was  found  the  duke  with  his 
most  trusty  cavaliers.  Soon  the  charge  was 
made;  soon  Les  Chartreux  de  la  Lance  were 
crushed  and  overthrown.  After  this  attack  the 
Ligues,  spying  all  the  swarming  crowd  (formi- 
liere)  of  the  Burgundians  near  Concize,  planted 
their  pikes  and  banners  in  the  ground,  and  with 
one  accord,  falling  on  their  knees,  asked  the 
favor  of  their  mighty  God. 

11  The  duke,  seeing  this  act,  swore:  'By 
Saint  George  these  dogs  are  crying  mercy. 
Cannoniers,  fire  on  those  villains!  ' 

"  But  all  his  words  were  of  no  avail.  The 
Ligues  like  hail  (gresles)  fell  upon  his  men, 
slashing,  thrusting  those  handsome  gallants  on 


406  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

all  sides.  So  well  and  so  completely  discom- 
fited all  along  the  route  were  those  poor  Bur- 
gundians  that  they  were  scattered  like  smoke 
borne  away  by  the  wind." 

Other  chroniclers  tell  of  the  defeat  of  the 
duke  and  the  brave  deeds  of  the  allies,  and  how 
the  duke's  horsemen  tried  to  escape  but  were 
run  down  by  the  infantry  and  many  were  killed. 
Another  tells  how  the  sun  dazzled  them  as  from 
a  mirror  and  how  the  trumpet  of  Ury  bellowed 
and  the  horns  of  Lucerne  sent  forth  such  terri- 
ble sounds  that  the  people  of  the  Duke  of  Bur- 
gundy were  seized  with  terror  and  fled.  The 
duke  tried  to  stop  them,  but  it  was  all  in  vain ; 
they  abandoned  their  camp,  and  all  its  treas- 
ures fell  into  the  hands  of  the  allies. 

These  contemporary  accounts  are  all  more 
or  less  full  of  inaccuracies;  it  is  well  known 
now  exactly  how  the  battle  took  place  and  how 
the  Burgundian  army  of  about  fifty  thousand 
with  five  hundred  pieces  of  artillery  was  so 
completely  defeated. 

The  mere  facts  were  these.  On  Feb.  18, 1476, 
the  Duke  Charles  assaulted  Grandson;  on  the 
twenty-eighth  the  garrison  surrendered  and  the 
next  day  were  all  massacred.  On  the  same  day 
the  duke  went  to  the  Chateau  of  Vaulxmarcus 
(now   Vaumarcus).     Its   master,    Messire   de 


Zurich  407 

Neuchatel,  surrendered,  throwing  himself  on 
his  knees  and  begging  to  be  allowed  to  retire 
with  his  garrison  of  forty.  The  duke  kept  the 
baron  but  let  the  garrison  go,  who  were  wildly- 
indignant  at  not  having  been  allowed  to  fight. 
The  forty  scattered  and  spread  the  news,  and 
that  brought  the  allies  together.  The  duke  had 
an  impregnable  position,  but  the  Swiss,  by 
making  a  feint  of  attacking  Vaulxmarcus,  tried 
to  draw  him  out.  Had  he  not  lacked  provisions 
for  so  formidable  an  army,  he  might  have  re- 
sisted, but  he  had  to  advance  on  Neuchatel,  and 
the  sudden  attack  of  the  confederates,  who 
numbered  only  between  twenty  and  twenty-five 
thousand  men,  was  irresistible.  Many  of  the 
Swiss  cities  possess  relics  of  this  great  victory, 
which  is  the  one  great  event  for  the  Cantons  to 
exult  over  and  no  doubt  did  much  to  prepare 
the  way  for  the  future  Confederacy.  At  So- 
leure  one  sees  the  costume  of  Charles's  court 
jester.  Lucerne  has  the  great  seal  of  Bur- 
gundy. At  the  University  Library  at  Geneva 
are  miniatures  which  belonged  to  the  duke. 

If  the  Duke  of  Brunswick  left  twenty  million 
francs  to  Geneva,  —  and,  by  the  way,  the  heirs 
of  his  illegitimate  daughter  are  trying  to  get 
it  away  from  the  town,  —  Neuchatel  had  a  bene- 
factor in  David  de  Purry,  who  left  four  and  a 


408  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

half  millions,  and  he  also  has  a  statue.  I  did 
not  stop  to  look  into  the  Municipal  Museum, 
but  I  took  the  train  to  the  top  of  the  Chaumont, 
which  gives  a  fine  bird's-eye  view  of  the  city, 
the  lake,  and  the  whole  range  of  the  Alps. 

I  crossed  the  lake  from  Neuchatel  to  Morat. 
The  lake  is  a  little  less  than  eight  kilometers 
long  and  is  about  one  hundred  and  fifty-three 
meters  deep.  It  connects  with  the  Lake  of 
Bienne  by  a  stream  tamed  to  service.  It  con- 
nects by  the  Broye  with  the  Lake  of  Morat, 
which  is  like  a  family  reduced  in  circumstances. 
It  once  washed  the  walls  of  the  ancient  city  of 
Aventicum,  capital  of  the  Helvetii,  and  after 
the  Romans  captured  it,  a  city  of  large  impor- 
tance. Both  lake  and  town  have  shrunk.  The 
lake  is  about  as  long  as  the  Lake  of  Neuchatel 
is  wide,  and  the  town,  now  Avenches,  lives  in  its 
past.  Omar  Khayyam  would  have  found  a 
topic  for  a  poem  in  the  solitary  Corinthian 
column  from  the  temple  of  Apollo  standing 
nearly  twelve  meters  high  and  serving  only  as 
the  support  for  a  family  of  storks  most  re- 
spectable as  far  as  their  antiquity  is  con- 
cerned. 

Avenches  is  only  about  a  mile  from  Morat. 
It  has  been  called  a  modern  Pompeii.  Under 
the  auspices  of  the  Society  for  the  Preserva- 


Zurich  409 

tion  of  Roman  Antiquities  it  has  been  more  or 
less  thoroughly  investigated  and  archeologized, 
and  one  may  stand  in  the  very  forum  where 
perhaps  Caesar  stood. 

From  Morat  I  came  up  to  Fribourg,  which, 
to  me,  was  so  interesting  that  I  should  have 
liked  to  stay  there  a  week.  In  the  old  days  it 
must  have  made  a  natural  castle  standing  on 
its  acropolis  almost  surrounded  by  the  Sarine 
River.  Indeed,  some  of  the  medieval  walls  and 
towers  are  still  left  to  bespeak  its  military  pres- 
tige. Ancient  churches  make  it  picturesque. 
That  of  Saint  Nicholas  was  begun  about  a  hun- 
dred years  after  the  town  was  founded ;  it  has 
wonderful  stained-glass  windows,  dating  back 
to  the  Fourteenth  Century,  carved  stalls,  and 
a  glorious  organ  with  seven  thousand  eight 
hundred  pipes.  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  be 
there  while  the  organist  was  playing.  But  most 
church  organs  are  out  of  tune.  Variations  of 
temperature  so  easily  affect  the  pipes. 

I  was  pleased  to  know  that  the  Catholic 
Bishop  of  Lausanne  resides  in  Fribourg,  which, 
indeed,  is  largely  a  Catholic  town.  The  ancient 
linden-tree  on  the  Place  de  PHotel-de-Ville 
would  have  delighted  Dr.  Oliver  Wendell 
Holmes,  who  was  always  measuring  big  trunks. 
This  is  more  than  four  meters  in  circumference, 


410  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

and,  like  every  other  big  tree,  it  traces  its  pedi- 
gree back  to  a  tiny  slip  stuck  into  the  ground. 
It  was  brought  by  the  young  Freiburger,  who, 
having  run  all  the  way  from  Morat,  announced 
the  news  of  the  great  battle  there  in  1476  by 
crying  "  Victory  "  and  falling  dead  of  his 
wounds  and  exhaustion.  Probably  Pheidip- 
pides  brought  a  willow  wand  which  grew  into 
a  monstrous  tree. 

The  great  suspension  bridges  also  are  worth 
seeing,  and  every  vantage-point  has  a  magnifi- 
cent view. 

Bern  was  my  next  objective  point.  I  de- 
lighted in  the  quaint  old  arcaded  streets  made 
under  the  grey  stone  houses  with  their  green 
Venetian  shutters,  and  in  the  Sixteenth-Cen- 
tury fountains.  An  abundance  of  water  is  one 
of  the  most  blessed  gifts  of  the  gods.  I  put  up 
at  the  Bernerhof  Hotel  and  spent  a  day  "  see- 
ing the  sights. ' ' 

Bern  was  founded  by  Berthold  V  of  Zahr- 
ingen  in  the  Twelfth  Century,  the  same  Ber- 
thold that  built  Fribourg.  Legend  makes  it  out 
that  he  named  his  new  city  after  the  quarry 
of  his  favourite  priest.  This  proved  to  be  a 
bear.    He  spoke  his  will  in  a  rhyme : 

"  Holtz,  lass  dich  hauen  gem, 
Die  Stadt  muss  heissen  Bern." 


Zurich  411 

Whether  the  name  came  from  the  legend  or 
the  legend  from  the  name  is  a  question  no  man 
can  decide.  The  bear  is  seen  on  every  city 
shield,  and  those  that  once  ornamented  the  city- 
gates  are  now  penned  in  the  Historical  Museum. 
The  bears  also  come  out  automatically  on  the 
famous  Zeitglockenturm.  The  real  bears  in  the 
pits  —  which  are  pits  —  are  said  to  be  lineal 
descendants  of  a  cub  brought  back  from  a  hunt 
by  Berthold  himself,  or,  as  others  have  it,  from 
a  pair  given  him  by  Rene,  Due  de  Lorraine. 
In  1798  General  Brune  carried  them  off  to  Paris 
and  put  them  in  the  Jardin  des  Plantes,  but 
they  were  so  homesick  that  they  were  returned. 

u  Noble  animals,"  exclaimed  a  friend  of 
mine,  "  fed  and  pampered  as  they  deserve  to 
be,  for  they  brought  good  fortune  to  the  tri- 
umphant Bernese  at  Donnerbriihl  and  at  Lau- 
pen.  Established  like  real  kings  under  the  fir- 
tree,  they  seem  to  look  up  at  us  with  disdain  — 
at  us  feeble  creatures  who  gaze  at  their  mighty 
muscles  and  at  their  indomitable  eyes!  " 

A  statue  to  Rudolf  von  Erlach,  the  hero  of 
Laupen,  is  one  of  the  ornaments  of  the  city. 
Saint  Christopher  also  used  to  have  a  wooden 
statue;  it  was  supposed  to  guard  the  silver 
communion-service,  but  the  plate  was  stolen 
again  and  again,  and  so  he  was  banished  to 


412  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

a  niche  in  the  tower  that  bears  his  name,  and, 
as  he  faced  the  David  fountain,  he  acquired  the 
nickname  of  Goliath,  and,  if  tradition  tells  the 
truth,  which  I  would  never  dare  deny,  whenever 
the  town  clock  struck  twelve  he  used  to  rain 
Weckli,  or  little  cakes,  on  the  people.  In  order 
to  make  the  legend  true  it  is  said  that  a  rich 
lady  ordered  this  miracle  to  be  performed.  She 
lived  to  be  a  hundred,  and,  when  she  died  in 
1857,  the  Cathedral  chimes  were  rung  in  her 
honour.  A  statue  of  Saint  Christopher  also 
stands  now  in  the  Museum  —  a  relic  of  the  day 
when  Bern  was  mostly  built  of  wood,  as  was 
indicated  in  the  duke 's  couplet. 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  tell  all  I  saw  in  Bern ; 
it  would  fill  a  volume ;  besides,  I  have  reserved 
the  fine  old  city  for  at  least  a  year  in  one  of 
my  future  reincarnations.  Bern  is  the  capital 
of  the  Swiss  Confederation,  and  whole  chapters 
would  require  to  be  written  to  elucidate  the 
history  and  government  of  the  country.  There 
are  splendid  museums,  and  libraries,  and  the 
University,  though  comparatively  recent,  has 
more  than  a  thousand  students  enrolled. 

As  it  is  always  my  habit  to  get  above  a  city 
if  possible,  either  on  a  church  tower  or  on  some 
commanding  hill,  I  went  to  the  Gurten  and  was 
there  at  sunset  when  the  Alpenglow  was  ex- 


Zurich  413 

hibited  with  all  its  pomp.  Below  lay  the  splen- 
did buildings  of  the  prosperous  town  with  their 
towers  and  variegated  roofs  and  gables.  At 
the  foot  of  the  lovely  Blumlisalp  could  be  seen 
the  glint  of  the  Lake  of  Thun,  and  as  for  moun- 
tains —  merely  to  mention  the  Jungfrau,  the 
Finsteraarhorn,  the  Eiger  and  the  Monch, 
brings  up  to  me  now,  not  seeing  them,  a  vision 
that  makes  the  tears  come  to  my  eyes.  What 
shall  I  say,  too,  to  add  to  the  picture,  so  inade- 
quately hinted  at,  merely,  more  than  to  chron- 
icle that  the  moon  arose  not  quite  at  her  full 
but  pouring  out  a  jar  of  golden  light  that  filled 
the  whole  valley  with  vibrating,  quivering 
beauty  f  At  night  mountains  seem  to  shrink  as 
if  they  lay  down  to  sleep.  So,  from  the  eight 
hundred  and  sixty-one  meter  altitude  of  the 
Gurten,  I  had  the  brilliant  afternoon  sunlight, 
the  most  perfect  view  of  the  blushing  Jungfrau, 
—  and  it  was  most  becoming  to  her,  —  and  then 
a  radiant  moonlight  night. 


CHAPTER   XXIII 

AT    ZURICH    WITH    THE    PROFESSOR 

ARLY  the  following  morning  I  started 
for  Zurich  by  the  way  of  Lucerne.  I 
shall  say  nothing  about  that  gem  of 
cities  now;  for,  in  the  first  place,  it 
was  raining  when  I  arrived  there,  and,  in  the 
second  place,  I  had  later  an  opportunity  to 
spend  a  fortnight  there,  or  rather  in  the  vicin- 
ity, with  a  college  classmate  who  was  occupying 
a  handsome  villa  situated  high  up  above  the 
lake  and  affording  a  marvellous  gallery  of 
views  from  every  side.  I  met  him  by  accident 
in  the  railway  station  and  he  insisted  on  taking 
me  home  with  him  then  and  there.  Only  by 
faithfully  promising  him  that  I  would  come 
back  to  him  after  my  trip  in  the  Tyrol,  did  he 
allow  me  to  continue  on  my  way. 

So  I  reached  Zurich  exactly  on  time  and  I 
found  Professor  Landoldt  awaiting  me.  He 
took  me  in  a  taxicab  to  his  quaint  and  amusing 
old  house,  situated  high  up  and  looking  over 
the  whole  city.    When  we  got  there  I  must  say 

414 


A    RAINY    DAY    IN    ZURICH. 


At  Zurich  with  the  Professor      415 

it  did  not  overlook  anything,  because  of  the  low 
hanging  clouds  from  which  fell  a  steady  rain. 
One  of  R.  Topfer's  "  Nouvelles  Genevoises  " 
begins  with  these  words:  —  "  When  you  travel 
in  Switzerland  alone  and  not  bringing  your 
always  amiable  family  along  with  you,  the  rain 
is  a  melancholy  harbinger  of  tedium  as  it  con- 
fines you  in  a  hotel-parlor  in  the  company  of 
disappointed  tourists." 

I  was  alone  and  without  my  family  and  it  was 
disappointing  to  get  my  first  view  of  Zurich 
without  being  able  to  see  much  of  anything. 
But  the  cheery  welcome  that  I  received  atoned 
for  it.  Frau  Landoldt  was  a  hearty  German 
woman.  I  learned  accidentally  that  her  father 
was  a  Baron  von  Eggisland  and  quite  well- 
known  as  an  artist.  She  herself  had  a  remark- 
able gift  for  painting.  She  was  very  pretty, 
with  rippling  fair  hair  and  eyes  like  turquoises. 
They  had  no  children.  German  individuality 
is  always  seen  in  the  decoration  of  rooms,  in 
the  arrangement  of  pictures  and  ornaments; 
it  is  very  different  from  English  or  American 
taste.  But  in  her  home  prevailed  that  atmos- 
phere of  Gemutlichkeit  which  is  the  very  soul 
of  hospitality  and  makes  one  happy. 

In  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  coffee  was 
brought   in,    together   with   Apfelhuchen    and 


416  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

cheese,  jam  and  fruit.  We  chatted  as  we  drank 
the  delicious  coffee.  The  Professor  and  his 
wife  were  interested  to  know  what  I  had  been 
doing  since  I  reached  Switzerland,  and  I  told 
them  about  some  of  the  more  notable  expedi- 
tions which  I  had  enjoyed,  especially  my  trip 
around  the  Lake  Leman  and  my  visit  to  Geneva. 

As  it  still  rained  and  was  not  propitious  for 
sallying  forth,  we  went  into  the  study  of  Pro- 
fessor Landoldt,  which,  as  I  glanced  over  it,  I 
found  had  a  well-selected  variety  of  books  in 
various  languages,  especially  on  history.  One 
of  my  first  remarks,  after  I  had  made  a  cursory 
tour  of  the  room,  rather  surprised  the  serious- 
minded  German.  I  said :  "  If  one  of  my  chick- 
ens—  though,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  never  had  a 
chicken  in  my  life  —  were  to  escape  and  fly  over 
into  my  neighbour's  yard  or  my  dog  should  run 
away,  I  could  claim  him  and  bring  him  back?  " 

"  A  propos?  "  asked  the  Professor,  most 
politely,  but  evidently  thinking  I  had  gone 
verriicht. 

"  As  far  as  I  can  make  out,  a  large  part  of 
the  soil  of  Switzerland  has  run  away  and  is  dis- 
porting itself  all  over  the  rest  of  Europe.  Why 
does  it  not  still  belong  to  Switzerland?  " 

"  Oh,  I  see  what  you  mean,"  he  said,  very 
seriously. 


At  Zurich  with  the  Professor      417 

' '  What  I  really  mean  is  this ;  if  Switzerland, 
which  is  a  republic,  governed,  as  far  as  I  can 
judge,  more  democratically  even  than  our 
United  States,  could  establish  its  claim  to  its 
run-away  land  and  introduce  the  same  form  of 
government  in  the  army-swamped  countries  of 
Europe,  —  in  Germany,  France  and  Austria,  — 
think  what  a  blessing  it  would  be!  " 

"  The  time  will  come,''  said  the  Professor, 
"  when  there  will  be  the  United  States  of 
Europe.  Militarism  foments  national  jealous- 
ies, but  the  common  people  cherish  no  hatreds. 
Our  little  Switzerland  was  originally  just  as 
much  divided  against  itself  as  Germany  and 
France  would  be  if  Fate  should  suddenly  amal- 
gamate them.  Germany  seized  Alsace,  and, 
when  I  was  in  Strassbourg  not  long  ago,  I 
noticed  that  all  the  men  at  the  market  wore 
knots  of  black  ribbon:  that  was  in  token  of 
mourning,  because  they  had  been  torn  from 
France.  But  if  there  were  the  United  States 
of  Europe  all  that  commemoration  of  hard 
feelings  would  vanish.  Napoleon  was  eagle- 
eyed  and  prophetic  enough  to  foresee  what  was 
coming ;  he  would  have  made  Europe  one  grand 
empire,  but  one  grand  empire  would  have 
been  the  next  step  to  one  grand  republic,  just 
as  the  trusts  foreshadow  government  owner- 


418  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

ship.  Think  what  would  be  the  saving  in  what 
you  call '  dollars  and  cents  '  alone,  if  the  rivalry 
in  military  expenditure  could  be  stopped.  It 
would  free  billions  and  billions  to  make  perfect 
roads,  to  do  away  with  slums,  to  educate  the 
masses,  to  cure  the  disease  of  intemperance,  as 
well  as  other  curable  diseases.  It  is  coming  as 
sure  as  Fate.  We  already  see  the  rosy  light  of 
its  rising  on  the  highest  mountain-tops  —  the 
sun  of  democracy  touches  the  edge  of  the  hori- 
zon. ' ' 

1 '  That  is  fine, ' '  said  I.  ' '  Yes,  the  people  are 
waking  to  their  birthrights.  Not  long  ago  I 
was  asked  to  address  a  large  audience  of  Bus- 
sian  Jews  gathered  to  do  honour  to  Count  Tol- 
stoi'. I  said  the  time  would  come  when,  in- 
stead of  the  Emperor  of  Russia  and  the  Em- 
peror of  Germany  commanding  several  mill- 
ions of  peasants  torn  from  their  homes  to  fight 
with  one  another  for  some  cause  in  which  they 
had  not  the  slightest  interest,  and  naturally 
friendly,  these  same  millions  of  men  would  sud- 
denly reverse  the  current;  if  there  was  to  be 
a  fight,  they  would  stand  round  in  a  vast  circle 
and  let  the  two  emperors  settle  it  in  the  arena 
just  as  David  fought  with  Goliath,  —  perhaps 
by  a  discussion,  and  not  by  swords  and  slings 
or  pistols,  —  and  it  would  be  settled  just  as 


At  Zurich  with  the  Professor      419 

equitably  as  if  thousands  of  men  and  thousands 
of  horses  were  killed  and  horribly  maimed." 

"  The  possibility  of  men  of  rival  nations 
working  side  by  side  has  been  shown  again  and 
again.  I  have  been  recently  reading  about  the 
battle  of  Zurich,  where  Massena  defeated  the 
Russians  and  Austrians.  Russians  and  Aus- 
trians  fought  side  by  side.  A  juggle  would 
have  set  Austrians  and  Russians  fighting  one 
another.  Hitherto  they  have  been  only  pawns, 
but  the  new  game  of  chess  makes  the  united 
pawns  more  powerful  than  kings,  queens  and 
bishops." 

"  That  reminds  me  of  the  prediction  made 
by  the  young  Marquis  de  Pezay,  author  of 
1  Zeles  au  Bain,'  who  in  1771  came  to  Switzer- 
land and  published  his  '  Soirees  Helvetiques  ' 
full  of  odd  apostrophes  — '  Peoples,  whom  I 
am  about  to  visit,  good  Swiss,  shut  not  your 
gates  to  my  passage!  '  He  did  not  altogether 
like  the  mountains,  though  he  called  them  sub- 
lime and  immense  — '  colosses  d'albdtres  '  — 
and  he  said  that  they  would  some  day  be  cut 
down  and  practicable  roads  would  be  put 
through,  *  so  as  to  make  the  nations  sisters.' 
He  made  fun  of  the  militarism  of  the  Bernese, 
though  he  himself  was  an  officer  in  the  French 
army.    He  said :  '  When  universal  peace  comes 


420  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

about  we  shall  see  bloody  partizans  exchanged 
for  useful  basins,'  —  if  that  is  what  he  means  by 
baches  salutaires,  — '  the  ruinous  revetements 
of  our  citadels  will  look  down  only  on  wide 
canals  navigable  and  well-supplied  with  fish, 
and  gunpowder  will  not  be  exploded  in  the  air 
except  to  blow  up  rocks  or  celebrate  the  festi- 
vals of  pacific  kings.'  " 

"  So  is  that  fine,"  said  the  Professor.  "  But 
speaking  of  the  Russians  and  the  Austrians 
fighting  side  by  side  —  that  was  a  masterly  re- 
treat which  Suvorof  made  over  the  mountains. 
I  do  not  know  which  to  admire  most,  Hannibal 
in  taking  his  elephants  across  the  Alps  from 
the  Rhone  to  the  Po,  or  the  Russian  field- 
marshal  extricating  himself  from  the  cul  de  sac 
into  which  his  obstinacy  had  entrapped  him." 

"  That  is  odd!  "  I  exclaimed.  "  I  have 
just  been  reading  about  Hannibal  in  Polybius 
and  Livy,  but  I  have  forgotten  if  I  ever  knew 
the  exact  facts  about  Suvorof." 

"  I  will  tell  you  about  it,"  said  the  Professor, 
"  if  you  would  like  to  hear  it." 

"  Indeed  I  would." 

The  Professor  got  out  a  large  atlas,  and  occa- 
sionally showed  me  the  places  on  the  map.  ' '  I 
will  tell  you,"  he  said,  "  there  is  a  remarkable 
account  of  Suvorof 's  adventure  in  the  Swiss 


At  Zurich  with  the  Professor      421 

novelist  Ernst  Zahn's  '  Albin  Indergand.'  It 
is  right  from  the  life.    But  I  will  do  my  best. 

"  Suvorof,  who  had  crossed  the  Alps  and 
seized  Turin  and  Milan,  was  ordered  by  the 
Emperor  to  have  his  plans  approved  before 
being  put  into  execution.  He  complained  of 
this  absurd  restriction.  '  In  war, '  he  said, '  cir- 
cumstances are  changing  from  one  moment  to 
another ;  consequently  there  can  be  no  precise 
plan  of  action.' 

"  He  was  surrounded  by  jealousies  and  by 
spies,  and  the  Austrian  court  issued  orders 
without  consulting  him. 

"  He  was  so  disgusted  with  the  condition  of 
things  that  he  was  tempted  to  throw  up  his 
command.  He  wrote  to  the  Emperor  asking 
if  he  might  be  recalled : '  I  wish  to  lay  my  bones 
in  my  fatherland  and  pray  God  for  my  Em- 
peror.' The  battle  of  the  Trebbia  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  sanguinary  fight  at  Novi,  where 
Suvorof  allowed  his  forces  to  be  almost  anni- 
hilated before  he  woke  to  the  danger  in  which 
he  was  placed.  At  this  battle  the  French  loss 
was  twelve  thousand;  that  of  the  Allies  eight 
thousand,  of  which  one-fourth  were  Kussians. 
The  Russians  began  to  sack  Novi,  but  Suvorof 
managed  to  restrain  them.  He  was  then  or- 
dered to  lead  the  armies  in  Switzerland. 


422  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

"  He  was  heartbroken  at  the  vain  result  of 
his  efforts  and  triumphs. 

"  He  was  almost  seventy  years  old,  and  dur- 
ing his  professional  career  of  half  a  century, 
he  had  never  been  defeated. 

"  He  had  for  a  local  guide  through  Switzer- 
land Colonel  Weywrother,  an  Austrian  officer. 
Misled  by  him  the  Russian  general  calculated 
that  he  could  reach  Schwyz  in  seven  days.  He 
had  twenty  thousand  men.  Uncorrected  by 
Weywrother,  he  selected  a  road  which  ended  at 
Altorf  whence  the  only  passage  to  Lucerne 
and  Schwyz  was  by  water.  When,  after  an  in- 
credibly rapid  march,  covering  in  four  days 
a  space  usually  requiring  a  week,  they  reached 
Taverna,  not  one  of  the  fifteen  hundred  mules 
ordered  was  on  hand  and  all  the  advantage  of 
this  marvellous  forced  passage  was  lost.  They 
were  delayed  five  days,  and  then  only  six  hun- 
dred and  fifty  mules  came. 

"  The  Grand  Duke  Constantine  suggested 
dismounting  the  four  thousand  Cossacks  and 
using  their  horses  as  pack-animals.  Lieutenant- 
General  Rosenberg,  with  a  division  of  six  thou- 
sand, attempted  to  turn  the  Saint-Gotthard 
pass  by  the  Val  di  Blegno,  Dissentis  and  the 
Oberalp  Lake.  He  was  obliged  to  bivouac  at 
Cassaccia,  nearly  two  thousand  three  hundred 


At  Zurich  with  the  Professor      423 

meters  above  the  sea,  in  bitter  cold  without  fire 
or  any  sort  of  shelter.  But  he  succeeded  in 
getting  behind  the  enemy's  position. 

"  Suvorof,  mounted  on  a  Cossack  horse  and 
wearing  the  cloth  uniform-coat  of  a  private 
over  his  flimsy  suit,  and  topping  all  with 
his  famous  threadbare  cloak,  rode  up  from 
Bellinzona,  accompanied  by  an  aged  peasant 
guide,  who  did  not  know  that  the  road  ended 
at  Altorf. 

' '  Reaching  and  capturing  Airolo,  they  drove 
out  the  French,  who  retired  to  the  mountain 
and  kept  up  a  galling  fire. 

"  When  the  Russians  attempted  to  carry  the 
summit  of  the  pass  it  took  two  successive  as- 
saults, at  a  loss  of  two  thousand  men,  to  win  it. 

"  Rosenberg  had,  in  the  meantime,  driven 
the  French  from  the  Oberalpsee  and  crossed 
the  heights  above  Andermatt,  then  dashing 
down  through  dense  fog,  had  captured  that  vil- 
lage, and  cut  off  the  French  reinforcements. 

11  Flinging  his  cannon  into  the  Reuss,  he  took 
his  men  over  the  Betzberg,  more  than  two 
thousand  two  hundred  meters  in  height,  and 
brought  them  in  safety  into  the  Goschenen 
valley. 

' '  The  TJrner  Loch,  a  passage  cut  in  the  solid 
rock  and  just  large  enough  to  admit  a  single 


424  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

pedestrian  and  his  pack,  and  the  Devil's  Bridge, 
wide  enough  to  allow  two  men  to  walk  abreast, 
hanging  twenty-three  meters  above  the  swift 
Reuss,  were  the  only  means  of  getting  to  the 
pass,  which  is  about  half  a  kilometer  long. 

"  A  promiscuous  slaughter  followed.  A 
French  gun  swept  the  tunnel  from  end  to  end 
with  grape,  and  mowed  down  all  who  entered. 
The  rearmost  Russians  pushed  those  in  front 
of  them  towards  the  hole.  Its  entrance  was 
choked  with  human  beings,  and  many  were 
pushed  over  the  edge  of  the  chasm  and  perished 
in  the  boiling  torrent. 

"  This  waste  of  life  lasted  till  the  Russian 
flanking  parties  came  in  sight  on  the  heights 
above.  Then  the  defenders  of  the  tunnel  re- 
tired across  the  Devil's  Bridge.  One  can  see 
even  now  where  they  broke  down  the  masonry 
platform  by  which  it  was  approached.  Then 
followed  a  murderous  battle.  The  combatants 
were  separated  only  by  the  narrow  chasm  of 
the  Reuss.  At  last  the  French,  seeing  the 
enemy  working  his  way  along  the  mountain 
above  them  to  the  right,  began  to  waver.  Their 
assailants  streamed  across  the  narrow  arch  as 
far  as  the  break  in  the  masonry  platform.  To 
cross  it  they  pulled  down  a  shed  hard  by; 
bound  its  timbers  together  with  officers'  sashes 


THE    URNER    LOCH. 


At  Zurich  with  the  Professor      425 

and  laid  them  across  the  chasm ;  Prince 
Meschersky  was  the  first  to  cross.  '  Do  not 
forget  me  in  the  despatches,'  he  cried,  as  he 
fell  mortally  wounded.  A  Cossack  followed 
him  but  fell  into  the  torrent. 

11  The  French  retreated  to  Seedorf,  on  the 
left  bank  of  the  Reuss,  and  there  waited  the 
turn  of  affairs.  Meantime  Suvorof  had  reached 
Altorf,  where  he  found  the  end  of  his  path. 

"  Not  knowing  how  conditions  were  around 
Zurich,  he  determined  to  force  his  way  to 
Schwyz.  To  do  this  meant  to  march  across  the 
Rosstock,  that  rugged  ridge  between  the 
Schachental  and  the  Muotta. 

"  Even  under  favourable  conditions  it  is  a 
hard  task;  but  it  was  now  late  in  the  season; 
yet  in  spite  of  all  common  sense  reasons  he 
decided  on  this  plan. 

"  The  terrible  advance  up  the  Kinzig  pass 
began  on  the  27th  of  September.  Bagration 
was  in  the  van;  Rosenberg  remained  behind 
to  protect  the  rear.  Here  is  the  graphic  picture 
which  Milyutin  gives  of  the  journey :  — 

"  '  The  path  became  gradually  steeper  and 
at  times  disappeared  altogether. 

"  *  It  was  not  an  easy  matter  for  pedestrians 
to  climb  such  a  height:  what  then  must  have 
been  the  difficulty  of  conducting  horses  and 


426  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

mules,  laden  with  guns,  ammunition  and  car- 
tridges !  The  poor  animals  could  hardly  budge 
a  foot;  in  many  cases  they  stumbled  from  the 
narrow  pathway  headlong  into  the  abyss  and 
were  dashed  to  pieces  on  the  rocks  below.  The 
horses  often  dragged  the  men  with  them  in 
their  fall ;  a  false  step  was  death. 

"  '  At  times  black  clouds  descending  the 
mountain-sides  enveloped  the  column  in  dense 
vapor  and  the  troops  were  soaked  to  the  skin 
as  if  by  heavy  rain.  They  groped  their  way 
through  the  raw  fog,  everything  round  about 
being  invisible. 

"  '  The  boots  of  both  officers  and  men  were 
for  the  most  part  worn  out.  Their  biscuit-bags 
were  empty.  Nothing  was  left  to  sustain  their 
strength. 

"  '  But,  in  spite  of  extreme  suffering,  the 
half-shod,  starving  troops  of  Russia  kept  up 
their  spirits.  In  the  hour  of  trial  the  presence 
of  the  son  of  their  Emperor,  sharing  their 
fatigues  and  dangers,  encouraged  them.  Dur- 
ing the  entire  march  the  Grand  Duke  Constan- 
tine  Pavlovitch  marched  with  Bagration's  ad- 
vance-guard.' 

"  The  sufferings  of  those  Russians  were  in- 
credible! The  main  body  of  the  troops  spent 
the  bitter  cold   night  in  the  mountains,  with 


At  Zurich  with  the  Professor      427 

little  to  eat,  no  fire  and  no  shelter.  Many  per- 
ished from  exposure. 

"  In  the  morning  Suvorof  learned  that  Kor- 
sakof  had  been  defeated  at  Zurich,  that  Glarus 
was  in  the  hands  of  the  French;  that  Hotze 
was  defeated  and  killed  in  the  battle  on  the 
Linth;  that  the  Austrians  who  should  have 
been  his  support  on  the  right  had  retreated. 
Massena  was  approaching  Schwyz  to  meet 
him  there;  Molitor  held  Glarus;  Le  Courbe 
was  at  Altorf. 

"  He  was  caught  in  a  trap.  On  the  29th  he 
summoned  a  council  of  war. 

"  When  the  council  was  assembled  he  broke 
into  a  furious  invective  against  the  Austrians 
and  put  the  question  fair  and  square :  — 

"  '  We  are  surrounded  in  the  midst  of  the 
mountains  by  an  enemy  superior  in  strength. 
What  are  we  to  do?  To  retreat  is  dishonor.  I 
have  never  retreated.  To  advance  to  Schwyz 
is  impossible.  Massena  has  sixty  thousand 
men;  we  have  not  twenty  thousand.  Besides, 
we  are  destitute  of  provisions,  cartridges  and 
artillery.  We  can  look  to  no  one  for  aid.  We 
are  on  the  brink  of  ruin.' 

11  The  council  voted  to  march  on  Glarus  and 
force  a  passage  past  the  Wallensee. 

* '  Suvorof  ended  with  these  brave  words :  — 


428  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

"  '  All  one  can  do  is  to  trust  in  Almighty 
God  and  in  the  courage  and  devotion  of  our 
troops.    We  are  Russians.    God  is  with  us.' 

"  Then  the  old  marshal  fell  at  the  feet  of 
the  Grand  Duke  Constantine  Pavlovitch.  The 
Grand  Duke  raised  him  and  kissed  him. 

"  '  Save  the  honor  of  Russia  and  her  Tsar! 
Save  our  Emperor's  son!  Da!  We  are  Rus- 
sians.   With  the  help  of  God  we  will  conquer !  ' 

' '  Bagration  pushed  the  French  back  into  the 
narrow  gorge  between  the  mountains  and  the 
Klontalersee ;  but  having  then  a  solid  position 
they  resisted  further  attack.  Massena,  advan- 
cing from  Schwyz,  was  attacking  Rosenberg  in 
the  rear  in  the  Muotta  valley,  but  met  by  Reh- 
binder's  brigade  and  attacked  from  above  by 
Cossacks  fighting  on  foot,  they  were  driven  back 
through  the  defile,  a  terrible  slaughter  of  the 
fugitives  taking  place  at  the  bridge,  now  known 
as  Suvorof 's,  which  spanned  the  Muotta. 

"  Again  the  Russians  had  to  sleep  out-of- 
doors,  cold  and  starving  and  exposed  to  a  bit- 
ter sleet.  The  grand  duke  and  Suvorof  found 
shelter  in  a  cow-shed. 

' '  On  the  morning  of  October  1,  Massena  with 
fifteen  thousand  men  again  attacked  Rosenberg 
whose  troops  followed  up  '  a  staggering  vol- 
ley '  with  the  famous  Suvorof  bayonet  charge 


At  Zurich  with  the  Professor      429 


and  drove  them  miles  down  the  valley,  inflict- 
ing on  them  a  loss  of  more  than  two  thousand, 
not  counting  perhaps  as  many  more  drowned 
in  the  Muotta,  while  some  hundreds  fell  or 
threw  themselves  over  precipices. 

11  Bagration  was  having  equal  success 
against  Molitor  in  the  defile  by  the  Klontalersee 
driving  him  back  to  Mollis,  but  when  he  was 
reinforced,  retiring  to  Nettstal,  in  good  order. 
Suvorof  himself  had  captured  Glarus  and  a 
large  supply  of  provisions ;  while  Rosenberg  by 
a  master-stroke  of  strategy  succeeded  in  re- 
joining Suvorof  in  spite  of  a  heavy  snow-storm, 
and  the  sufferings  of  his  men,  who  in  their  turn 
had  to  bivouac  on  the  pass  without  food  or 
fire. 

11  The  army,  however,  was  still  hemmed  in 
and  was  short  of  provisions,  and  still  worse, 
short  of  ammunition.  Their  only  hope  was  to 
escape  by  the  Panixer  pass,  but  at  this  time  of 
the  year  the  deep  snow  already  fallen  had  oblit- 
erated the  path;  they  were  surrounded  by 
dense  clouds;  they  had  no  guides;  the  super- 
stitious Russians  were  greatly  alarmed  by  see- 
ing the  lightning  and  bearing  peals  of  thunder 
below  them  —  a  phenomenon  which  seemed  to 
them  supernatural.  Occasionally  a  man,  or 
even  an  officer,  mounted,  would  vanish  entirely, 


430  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

swallowed  up  in  some  deep  crevasse  hidden  by 
snow. 

"  They  had  to  spend  the  night  again  on  the 
mountain;  it  grew  bitter  cold;  the  snow  be- 
came dangerously  slippery.  A  bombardment 
of  rocks  from  the  heights  above  killed  many. 

"  But  the  remainder  with  incredible  courage 
pushed  on  the  next  day  to  Ilanz,  where  it  was 
found  that  at  least  five  thousand  were  miss- 
ing. 

"  On  the  8th  of  October  they  reached  Coire, 
where,  at  last,  the  starved  wretches  had  some- 
thing to  eat. 

"  And  all  this  loss  and  suffering  might  have 
been  largely  obviated  had  Suvorof  known 
enough  to  follow  the  Spliigen  pass  and  the 
Grisons,  or  having  reached  Altorf,  joined  Lip- 
ken  by  the  Schachental. 

' '  In  honour  of  the  heroic  management  of  the 
Swiss  campaign  the  Emperor  made  him  gen- 
eralissimo of  the  Kussian  army,  calling  him 
1  the  most  renowned  commander  of  this  or  any 
other  age.'  " 

"  That  is  certainly  a  great  story,"  said  I. 
"  Isn't  there  a  statue  or  a  memorial  to  Suvo- 
rof? " 

"  Oh,  yes.  At  the  Devil's  Bridge,  on  the  side 
of  the  chasm,  there  is  a  tall  granite  cross,  about 


At  Zurich  with  the  Professor      431 

ten  meters  high,  put  up  in  1899,  and  with  an 
inscription  in  Russian  to  the  memory  of  him 
and  his  brave  comrades.  The  bridge  itself  is 
generally  called  after  him." 

"  It  brings  these  great  events  very  vividly 
before  one  to  be  at  the  very  spot  where  they 
took  place,  does  it  not?  " 

"  Yes,  just  think  what  centuries  of  history 
this  Zurich  of  ours  has  seen!  While  I  was  in 
England  a  few  years  ago  I  picked  up  at  a 
second-hand  bookshop  a  queer  old  copy  of 
Thomas  Coryat's  l  Crudities.'  Here  is  the 
book:  in  his  dedication  he  calls  himself  '  Thy 
benevolent  itinerating  friend  T.  C,  the  Odcom- 
bian  Legge-Stretcher. '  He  travelled  through 
all  this  region,  using  his  '  ten  toes  for  a  nagge. ' 
Here  he  refers  to  Zurich:  he  says  that  while 
here  he  met  Rodolphus  Hospinianus,  Gaspar 
Waserus  and  Henricus  Bultigerus.  Gaspar 
Waserus  was  the  '  ornamet  of  the  town,  speak- 
ing eight  languages  '  but  Hospinian  —  that '  glit- 
tering lamp  of  learning  '  —  told  him  that  their 
city  was  founded  in  the  time  of  Abraham. 
He  derives  the  names  from  the  fact  that  it  be- 
longed to  two  kingdoms  —  zweier  Reich  — 
*  one,  on  the  farther  bank  of  the  Limacus,'  he 
says,  '  belonged  to  Turgouia,  that  on  the  hither 
bank  Ergouia.'    The  Latin  name,  according  to 


432  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

him,  was  Turegum,  quasi,  duorum  regum  civi- 
tas." 

11  An  amusing  case  of  imaginary  etymology," 
I  should  say.  "  But  Zurich  is  a  very  ancient 
city,  I  believe." 

"  Oh,  yes.  In  1853  and  the  following  year 
there  was  a  remarkable  diminution  of  the 
waters  in  the  lake  and  wide  surfaces  were  laid 
bare.  Near  Obermeilen,  above  half-way  up  the 
lake,  some  labourers  were  embanking  some  new 
land  and  they  discovered  piles,  bits  of  charcoal 
and  other  relics.  Ferdinand  Keller  began  mak- 
ing investigations  and  he  discovered  that 
these  piles  were  in  parallel  rows  and  were  evi- 
dently the  remains  of  habitations.  After  that 
any  number  of  similar  discoveries  were  made. 
At  Concise,  near  Neuchatel,  from  one  single 
aquatic  village  twenty-five  thousand  different 
objects  were  recovered.  And  they  now  know 
exactly  how  these  villages  looked  with  their 
floors  of  fire-hardened  clay,  their  circular  walls, 
their  conical  roofs  made  of  wattled  reeds  and 
straw  or  bark.  If  you  have  been  into  any  of 
the  Swiss  museums  you  have  seen  their  weap- 
ons and  stag-horns,  bulls'  skulls,  flint  arrow- 
heads, serpentine  hatchets,  slings,  horn-awls, 
rings,  and  clay  vessels,  toys,  quoits,  ornamented 
often  with  rude  but  not  inartistic  etchings,  — 


At  Zurich  with  the  Professor      433 

there  is  no  end  to  the  things  preserved,  —  and 
even  their  canoes  hollowed  out  of  one  trunk, 
just  such  as  Hannibal  used  for  crossing  the 
Khone.  Each  village  had  probably  two  or  three 
hundred  huts  connected  with  the  shore  by  a 
bridge.  One  investigator  discovered  a  store- 
house containing  a  hundred  measures  of  bar- 
ley and  wheat.  They  evidently  had  their 
farms;  they  raised  apples,  pears  and  plums. 
They  had  a  trade  with  other  tribes,  for  coral 
and  amber  articles  were  found.  Yes,  Zurich  is 
built  on  a  settlement  that  existed  probably  fif- 
teen hundred  years  before  Christ  —  not  so  very 
far  from  the  time  of  Abraham." 

"  Who  were  they?  " 

"  Some  think  they  were  of  the  same  race  as 
the  Etruscans.  It  is  probable  that  they  were 
attacked  by  the  Kelts,  who  burnt  their  vil- 
lages." 

"  I  suppose  it  was  Kelts  who  attacked  Han- 
nibal." 

' '  Probably ;  they  were  Allobrogi.  The  Kelts 
were  always  freedom-loving." 

"  I  remember  what  Kant  says  about  the 
people  of  mountains  loving  freedom:  '  The 
peoples  that  dwell  around  and  on  the  moun- 
tains are  very  strong  and  bold  and  in  all  ways 
seek  to  assert  their  freedom  —  ihre  Freiheit  zu 


434  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

behaupten.  But  this  probably  comes  from  the 
fact  that  in  such  regions  it  is  very  easy  for  a 
few  to  defend  themselves  against  great  armies, 
and,  moreover,  the  mountain-peaks  are  unin- 
habited and  uninhabitable;  in  the  valleys  also 
little  wealth  is  to  be  found  and  no  one  is  espe- 
cially tempted  to  dwell  in  such  regions.'  He 
also  claims  that  the  peoples  that  do  live  there 
and  are  vegetarians  are  the  freest." 

"  I  am  not  so  certain  about  the  valleys  not 
tempting  to  invasion.  Do  you  know  one  of  the 
most  interesting  episodes  in  Swiss  history  is 
the  coming  of  the  Saracens?  Yet  they  left  sur- 
prisingly few  remains  —  a  few  medals  without 
dates  —  a  few  names  embedded  in  other  names 
—  like  Pontresina,  which  is  Pons  Sareceno- 
rum." 

"  I  know  it  is,  because  one  of  my  favourite 
novels  is  Viktor  von  Scheffel's  '  Ekkehard.'  " 

"  Do  you  know  that?  " 

"  Indeed  I  do,  and,  above  all  things,  I  want 
to  go  to  the  Lake  of  Constance  —  your  Boden- 
see  —  and  make  a  pilgrimage  to  the  Hohentwil, 
where  Ekkehard  taught  the  duchess  Latin  and 
she  taught  him  love. ' ' 

11  We  will  go  there  together;  that  will  be  an 
excellent  excursion." 

This  plan  also,  I  will  say  here,  we  carried 


At  Zurich  with  the  Professor      435 

out,  visiting  at  the  same  time  Constance  and 
two  or  three  other  towns  on  the  lake,  and  also 
the  Falls  of  the  Rhine.  Really,  to  know  Swit- 
zerland, one  would  have  to  live  here  years. 
Everywhere  I  go  the  charm  and  variety  of  it 
grows  on  me.  Mountains,  mountains  every- 
where !    I  can  say  with  old  Coryat :  — 

"  Such  is  the  height  of  many  of  these  moun- 
tains that  I  saw  at  the  least  two  hundred  of 
them  that  were  '  farre  aboue  '  some  of  the 
clouds!  " 

I  was  glad  that  Constance,  which  controls  the 
mouth  of  its  lake,  has  also  its  Reformer  — 
John  Huss  —  to  compare  with  Geneva 's  Calvin 
and  Zurich's  Zwingli;  they  prize  him  all  the 
more  because  they  put  him  to  death ! 

The  Professor  and  I  talked  of  all  manner  of 
things,  —  antiquities,  Swiss  history,  which,  ex- 
cept in  spots,  and  its  final  results,  is  not  very 
inspiring;  strikes  and  labour-troubles,  woman- 
suffrage,  the  growth  of  commercialism,  the 
Swiss  railways  and  the  advantage  of  having 
them  owned  by  the  state,  and  education.  We 
forgot  that  it  rained.  But  the  following  morn- 
ing the  storm  showed  symptoms  of  dissolution, 
and  the  Professor  and  I  sallied  forth  to  see 
the  city.  Every  city  is  worthy  of  a  hundred 
books;   for  every  city  is  full  of  human  beings, 


436  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

or  else  of  history,  or  both.  Zurich  has  nearly 
two  hundred  thousand  inhabitants  and  also  has 
its  history.  I  had  seen  lying  on  the  library 
table  a  beautifully  printed  and  well  illustrated 
pamphlet  describing  the  restoration  of  the 
Fraumiinster,  which  was  completed  in  1912. 
That  venerable  building  settles  Zurich's  his- 
toric solidity.  There  were  found  in  it,  or  rather 
under  it,  traces  of  the  little  church  which  was 
torn  down  in  the  Ninth  Century  to  make  room 
for  the  Carolingian  minster,  which  has  been  so 
successfully  repaired.  We  went  around  it  and 
into  it  and  the  Professor  pointed  out  to  me  the 
relics  of  its  most  ancient  carvings,  more  or  less 
mutilated  inscriptions,  grave-stones  —  one  of 
them  to  the  Ritter  Berngerus  von  "Wile,  dated 
1284. 

"  Did  you  know  that  in  the  Thirteenth  Cen- 
tury when  Berngerus,  —  I  wonder  if  he  was  a 
bear-slayer,  —  when  Von  Wile  was  living  in 
Zurich,  —  there  was  a  regular  school  of  poetry 
here?  Heinrich  Mamies,  the  Probst  of  the 
Abtei,  who  founded  the  Library,  had  charge 
of  it.  He  died  in  1270.  Riidiger  Mannesse 
had  a  great  collection  of  song-books,  and  the 
tests  in  '  Mastersong  '  were  much  enjoyed. 
Count  Krafto  von  Toggenburg  was  afterwards 
Probst  of  the  Abtei.    It  is  supposed  that  Had- 


Wiiiiijirifiij 
Mi  Hj#  iiii 


THE    FKAl'Ml-XSTER. 


At  Zurich  with  the  Professor      437 

loub  was  his  pupil.  He  was  the  nephew  of 
Elizabeth  von  Wetzikon,  the  Fiirstabtissin,  who 
made  him  chaplain  of  St.  Stephen's  outside  the 
walls.  This  Elizabeth  von  Wetzikon 's  mortu- 
ary inscription  was  found  in  the  old  church,  but 
badly  mutilated.  The  Zurich  Antiquarian  So- 
ciety has  published  nearly  three  score  of  Had- 
loub's  poems.  I  read  some  of  them.  There  is 
one  that  reminded  me  of  the  old  English  song 
— '  Sumer  is  i-kumen  in  —  lude  sing  kuku.'  It 
begins :  — 

Sumer  hat  gesendet  uz  sin  Wunne; 
Seht  die  bluomen  gent  uf  dur  daz  gras. 
Luter  klar  stet  nu  der  liechte  sunne 
Da  der  winter  e"  vil  truebe  was.'  " 

As  it  was  still  cloudy  we  went  into  the  Swiss 
National  Museum.  A  hasty  glance  at  the  old 
furniture,  at  the  stained  glass  —  the  best  col- 
lection in  the  world  —  made  it  evident  that  a 
week  was  all  too  short  for  Zurich  —  I  should 
want  at  least  a  week  for  that  wonderful  mu- 
seum alone.  And  with  such  an  intelligent  guide 
as  Professor  Landoldt  it  was  most  edifying. 
When  we  came  out  the  sun  was  shining  and  we 
went  to  the  top  of  the  Polytechnikum  and  got 
that  bird's-eye  view  of  the  town  which  is  the 
best  introduction.    I  shall  always  remember  the 


438  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

beauty  of  it;  I  can  see  with  my  mind's  eye  the 
twin  towers  of  the  Gross-Minister  —  not  that 
they  are  beautiful,  at  least  not  their  caps  —  and 
(from  closer  observation)  the  quaint  statue  of 
Charlemagne  with  his  gilded  crown  and  sword. 
"  The  molasses-sandstone  which  was  used 
for  building  so  many  of  the  old  edifices  in 
Zurich,"  said  the  Professor,  "  comes  from 
quarries  at  the  upper  end  of  the  lake  that 
were  known  in  Roman  times.  Unfortunately  it 
crumbles  rather  readily  '  under  the  tooth  of 
time.'  Some  of  the  carvings  on  the  old  cathe- 
dral are  most  quaint  and  curious,  as  you  will 
see.  For  instance,  on  the  third  story  is  a 
knight  dressed  in  tunic  and  chlamys.  He  may 
have  been  meant  for  Rupert,  an  Alleman  duke, 
or  for  Burkhart,  Duke  of  Suabia.  Besides  the 
human  and  angel  figures  you  will  see  birds  and 
all  sorts  of  four-footed  creatures,  many  of  them 
imaginary  or  apocalyptic.  It  is  odd  that  the 
statues  and  decorations  do  not  refer  to  Biblical 
subjects  but  rather  to  heathen  imaginations  — 
chimeras,  dragons,  hippogrifs,  sirens,  lions  eat- 
ing men  who  are  certainly  not  meant  to  be 
Daniels;  there  are  a  winged  crocodile  devour- 
ing a  giant's  ears,  a  toad  standing  on  its  head, 
a  bearded  Hercules  strangling  twisted  serpents, 
Delilah  cutting  Samson's  hair,  wolves  biting  at 


THE    QUAINT   STATUE    OF   CHARLEMAGNE. 


At  Zurich  with  the  Professor      439 

a  boar,  skinny  monkeys  with  skulls  at  their 
mouths,  a  face  with  fish  coming  out  of  the 
mouth  and  ears,  centaurs  shooting  bows,  con- 
ventionalized grapes  and  monsters  eating  them, 
and  the  like. 

"  The  first  towers,"  he  went  on  to  say, 
1  *  were  in  Romanesque  style  and  not  intended  to 
rise  much  above  the  roof;  there  should  have 
been  a  separate  campanile;  at  the  end  of  the 
Fifteenth  Century  both  towers  were  built 
higher  in  Gothic  style.  I  think  it  was  the  am- 
bitious Biirgermeister  Waldmann,  envious  of 
the  tall  towers  of  Basel  and  Fribourg,  who  had 
them  elevated.  To  meet  the  expenses  he  him- 
self contributed  three  hundred  gulden,  and 
taxed  the  whole  priesthood  from  the  bishop 
down,  but  he  did  not  live  to  see  his  ambition 
carried  out.  These  towers  went  through  vari- 
ous vicissitudes.  In  1490  a  pointed  cap  orna- 
mented with  lead  was  put  on  each,  but  the  lead 
was  too  heavy  and  was  taken  off  twenty  years 
later  and  the  caps  were  covered  with  larch 
shingles.  These  lasted  till  they  caught  fire  in 
1575;  then  a  copper  top  was  put  on;  then 
shingles  again;  then  in  1763  it  was  struck  by 
lightning  and  burned  to  the  bell-deck.  In  1770 
a  stone  gallery  with  pyramids  on  the  four  cor- 
ners showed  itself.    The  present  rather  ridicu- 


440  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

lous  top  —  the  octagonal  wooden  helmets  — 
dates  back  to  1779." 

"  There  must  be  any  amount  of  interesting 
remains  all  around  Zurich,"  said  I,  leading 
him  on. 

"  Indeed  there  are.  A  number  of  years  ago 
the  favourite  spot  for  viewing  Zurich  was  up 
on  the  Balgrist,  where  you  look  down  into  the 
Limmat  valley  and  across  the  lake  to  the  moun- 
tains. In  1814,  I  think  it  was,  some  labourers 
requiring  material  to  mend  the  roads  with  dug 
down  and  discovered  some  skeletons.  It  was 
supposed  to  be  remains  of  soldiers  killed  in  the 
battle  between  the  Russians  and  the  French  in 
1799  and  they  gave  these  remains  Christian 
burial.  But  they  were  really  prehistoric.  Af- 
terwards all  sorts  of  things  were  found  there, 
but,  as  it  was  not  then  a  scientific  age,  most  of 
them  were  lost.  The  place  is  Entebiichel,  which 
local  etymology  interprets  as  the  Hill  of  the 
Giants;  Biichel,  equivalent  to  Hiihl,  meaning- 
hill,  and  Ente  the  local  word  for  giant.  But  it 
really  means  '  Beyond  the  Hill,'  the  word  ent 
or  ennet  being  an  Alleman  word." 

"  What  is  the  oldest  monument  in  Zurich?  " 

1 '  Oh,  probably  a  grave-stone  of  the*  Second 
Century,  which  some  Roman  official  set  up  to 
his  beloved  son;   it  stands  in  the  present  Lin- 


At  Zurich  with  the  Professor      441 

denhof  and  has  the  words  '  Statio  turicensis  ' 
carved  on  it.  When  this  region  became  Roman 
the  tax-collectors  dwelt  here.  After  the  fall  of 
the  Romans,  the  Allemanni  came,  then  the 
Franks,  then  the  German  kings.  Zurich  was 
a  palatinate,  which  means,  as  you  know,  pala- 
tium  regis;  a  palace  where  the  kings  stayed 
when  they  visited  here.  Really,  you  might 
spend  a  life-time  studying  the  history  of  Zurich 
and  this  lake.  I  shall  like  you  to  compare  the 
Lake  of  Geneva  with  our  much  smaller  Zurich 
Lake,"  said  Herr  Landoldt.  "  I  shall  take  you 
on  a  trip  around  it." 

He  was  true  to  his  promise.  After  he  had 
shown  me  all  the  sights  of  his  splendid  city  — 
the  largest  in  Switzerland  —  we  made  the  tour 
of  the  lake.  It  has  not  the  beauty  of  colouring 
of  Lake  Leman;  it  is  a  pale  green  but  "  the 
sweet  banks  of  Zurich's  lovely  lake  "  are  what 
the  French  call  riant,  a  little  more  than  our 
smiling;  and  the  background  of  snow-covered 
Alps  is  magnificent.  The  lake  is  about  ten 
times  as  long  as  it  is  wide  and  is  one  hundred 
and  forty-two  meters  deep.  Just  as  from  the 
end  of  Leman  rushes  the  Rhone,  so  from  the 
Zurich  end  of  its  lake  rushes  in  a  torrential 
dash  the  green  Limmat.  On  the  left  shore,  at 
the  place  where  it  attains  its  greatest  width, 


442  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

are  the  two  little  islands  of  Liitzelau  and 
Ufenau.  On  Ufenau  is  a  church  and  a  chapel 
dating  from  about  the  middle  of  the  Twelfth 
Century.  Here  died  in  1523,  Maximilian's 
poet-laureate,  Luther's  zealous  partizan,  the 
high-tempered,  witty,  impetuous  Ulrich  von 
Hutten.  He  had  to  flee  from  his  enemies,  and 
found  a  refuge  through  the  protection  of  his 
fellow-reformer,  Zwingli,  who  exercised  some- 
what the  same  commanding  influence  in  Zurich 
as  Calvin  did  in  Geneva.  I  had  never  read  any 
of  Von  Hutten 's  works,  but  I  found  an  excel- 
lent edition  of  them  in  the  Professor's  library 
and  I  read  with  much  amusement  some  of  the 
sarcasms  which  he  put  into  verse  in  his 
"  Awakener  of  the  German  Nation." 

We  went  to  Rapperswyl  —  the  ending  wyl  or 
wil  reminds  one  of  the  multitude  of  New  Eng- 
land towns  ending  in  ville  and  has  the  same 
origin  —  and  spent  an  hour  in  the  Polish  Na- 
tional Museum  founded  in  1870  by  Count  Broel- 
Plater  and  installed  in  the  Fourteenth-Century 
castle,  which  came  to  the  Hapsburgs  when  its 
founders  lost  it.  It  seemed  strange  to  see  all 
the  memorials  of  a  vanquished  people  —  weap- 
ons, banners  and  ornaments,  portraits  and  his- 
torical pictures  —  on  the  walls  or  in  the  cabi- 
nets of  a  city  so  far  away. 


At  Zurich  with  the  Professor      443 

We  got  back  to  Zurich  in  the  evening,  and 
the  Professor  called  my  attention  to  the  roman- 
tic effect  of  the  lighted  boats  plying  on  the  glit- 
tering waters.  There  was  a  brilliant  moon,  too, 
and  a  more  beautiful  scene  I  have  rarely  wit- 
nessed than  the  city  with  its  myriad  lights. 

My  week  went  like  a  breath.  Before  I  knew 
it,  we  were  off  for  our  trip  through  the  Aus- 
trian Tyrol.  Will  and  Ruth  appeared  in  due 
time,  and,  to  my  surprise,  they  brought  Lady 
Q.  with  them.  It  is  one  of  the  curiosities  of 
travel  that  one  is  always  meeting  the  same 
persons.  We  should  have  toured  the  Bernese 
Oberland  had  not  motor-vehicles  been  barred. 
But  in  the  Tyrol  splendid  roads  have  been  con- 
structed and  those  incomparable  regions  are  a 
paradise  for  travel.  To  detail  the  itinerary 
would  be  merely  a  catalogue  with  superlatives 
for  decoration.  To  describe  the  journey  with 
all  its  memorable  details,  —  picturesque  towns, 
valleys  sweeping  down  between  rugged  moun- 
tains, rivers  and  cataracts,  would  occupy  a 
book  as  big  as  a  dictionary.  I  noticed  that  we 
came  to  the  third  class  of  mountain-peaks :  the 
first  was  Dents,  the  second  was  Horns,  and  now 
we  found  the  term  was  Piz.  One  of  the  most 
fascinating  little  places  that  we  visited  on  a  side 


444  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

trip  to  Davos-Platz  was  Sertig  Dorfli,  with  its 
attractive  church  and  its  view  of  the  Piz  Kesch. 
At  Davos  lived  John  Addington  Symonds,  and 
I  pleased  my  niece  especially  by  reciting  his 
beautiful  sonnet:  "  'Neath  an  uncertain  moon." 
Besides  that  Piz  we  saw  Piz  Michel  and  Piz 
Vadret  and  Piz  Grialetsch.  In  several  cases, 
where  we  could  not  go  in  the  car,  we  went 
either  by  train  or  by  carriage.  At  Sils,  also, 
finely  situated  on  the  largest  of  the  Engadine 
lakes,  there  were  still  more  Pizes:  Piz  della 
Marga,  Piz  Corvatsch,  Piz  Giiz.  There  is  no 
end  to  them. 

We  took  the  advice  of  some  chance  acquaint- 
ances who  had  been  motoring  through  the 
Tyrol.  We  went  to  Bozen,  and,  after  spending 
the  night  there,  we  followed  the  Val  Sugana 
and  the  Broccone  and  Gobbera  passes  and  then 
the  new  roads  of  the  Rolle,  the  Pordoi  and  the 
Falzarego  into  the  Dolomites.  Of  course  the 
Dolomites  do  not  belong  to  Switzerland  as  a 
State  but  only  geologically.  We  crossed  over 
into  Italy  and  enjoyed  the  drive  by  the  Italian 
lakes  —  a  succession  of  "  dreams  of  beauty," 
as  Lady  Q.  said  with  more  truth  than  original- 
ity. We  spent  a  day  in  Milan  and  then  returned 
to  Switzerland  by  the  Saint-Gotthard. 


r 


Sertig  Tfdrfli 


CHAPTER   XXIV 

ON    THE   SHORES   OF   LAKE   LUCERNE 

|Y  classmate,  Ned  Allen,  was  always 
a  dilettante;  if  he  had  been  obliged 
to  work,  he  might  have  accomplished 
great  things;  but,  though  he  may 
have  had  ambitions,  the  days  of  his  young  man- 
hood slipped  away  while  he  travelled  all  over 
the  world.  Then  he  became  disgusted  with 
what  he  considered  unjust  taxation,  and,  con- 
verting all  his  property  into  income-bearing 
bonds,  so  that  he  had  no  care  or  worry,  he  came 
to  Europe  and  lived  part  of  the  time  in  his 
villa  on  the  Lake  of  the  Four  Cantons  and  part 
of  the  time  in  a  lovely  palazzo  near  Palermo  in 
Sicily. 

He  had  everything  to  make  him  happy,  and, 
yet,  like  most  of  the  rich  men  whom  I  have 
ever  known,  he  was  not  happy.  Happiness 
comes  only  in  forgetting  one 's  self,  and  that  he 
had  no  time  to  do,  because  he  had  all  the  time 
there  was. 

It  did  him  good,  I  think,  to  be  obliged  to  exert 

445 


446  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

himself  a  little  to  show  me  the  sights.  Like 
myself,  he  was  very  fond  of  music,  and  he  fol- 
lowed the  example  of  a  good  many  wealthy  men 
in  Switzerland  —  he  had  a  string  quartet  play 
every  Sunday  afternoon  and  also  two  or  three 
evenings  a  week.  One  day  he  took  me  to  the 
house  of  a  friend  of  his  who  supported  a  large 
orchestra  and  gave  concerts  to  a  few  invited 
guests  or  to  himself  alone  according  to  circum- 
stances. He  had  been  to  Paderewski's  villa  on 
the  Lake  of  Constance  and  to  the  Count  von 
Hesse-Wartegg's,  where  his  wife,  Madame  Min- 
nie Hauk,  after  retiring  from  the  stage,  has 
lived  for  a  number  of  years.  As  I  knew  them 
all,  I  wished  that  I  might  pay  my  respects,  but 
I  had  no  chance  —  there  were  so  many  other 
things  to  do. 

One  of  my  first  objects  of  pilgrimage  at 
Lucerne  was  the  Peace  and  War  Museum, 
founded  by  that  remarkable  Austrian  Jew,  Von 
Bloch.  My  classmate  was  inclined  to  scoff  at 
the  notion  of  Universal  Peace.  I  found  he  had 
not  read  or  even  thought  very  deeply  on  the 
subject,  and  I  really  think  that  my  enthusiasm 
communicated  itself  somewhat  to  him.  He  had 
never  thought,  before  I  suggested  it  to  him, 
that  the  small  stature  of  the  present-day 
French  and  Italians  was  probably  due  to  the 


On  the  Shores  of  Lake  Lucerne     447 

fact  that  the  best  and  strongest  of  the  youth 
of  those  two  nations  were  killed  off  in  the  Napo- 
leonic and  subsequent  wars.  War  does  not 
ensure  the  survival  of  the  fittest.  The  old  and 
weaklings  are  left  to  perpetuate  the  race. 

One  would  hardly  believe  it,  but  Ned  had 
never  been  to  the  top  of  Pilatus;  I  found  he 
was  not  especially  interested  in  scenery,  he  who 
lived  in  the  midst  of  the  most  splendid  scenery 
in  Switzerland.  But  he  went  with  me  to  Pila- 
tus. As  we  started  I  quoted  the  rhymed  prov- 
erb:— 

"  Hat  der  Pilatus  einen  Hut 
Dann  wird  das  Wetter  gut; 
Hat  er  einen  Degen 
So  giebt  es  sicher  Regen." 

He  had  heard  that  and  said  it  was  quite  true; 
if  the  mountain  was  adorned  with  a  little  cloudy 
cap  it  meant  that  there  would  be  fair  weather ; 
fortunately  the  peak  wore  his  hat  and  not  his 
dagger,  so  we  had  bright  sunshine  and  not 
rain. 

But  Ned  did  not  know  the  legend  which  con- 
nects Pilate  with  the  mountain.  Of  course  it 
should  be  Mons  Pileatus  —  the  capt  mountain ; 
but  the  story  became  widespread  that  after 
Christ  was  put  to  death,  Pilate  was  recalled  to 


448  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

Rome.  He  wore  Christ's  robe.  He  was  found 
guilty  of  malfeasance  and  was  put  to  death. 
His  body  was  thrown  into  the  Tiber  which 
refused  it  and  angry  storms  arose.  It  was  sent 
to  Vienna:  the  Danube  refused  it;  it  was 
brought  to  the  Rhone;  again  storms;  the  lake 
refused  it;  new  disasters  came  upon  Lausanne. 
Then  it  was  brought  to  the  Frankmiint  —  that 
is  what  the  rough  upper  part  of  the  mountain 
is  called;  the  mons  fr actus  —  where  Pilate's 
ghost  fought  with  the  spectre  of  King  Herod  — 
the  red  of  the  conflict  was  seen  then  and  after- 
wards at  sunset  on  the  mountain-top.  Up  came 
a  necromancer  and  laid  a  terrible  spell.  In  the 
days  that  followed  nothing  would  grow  there, 
and  on  Good  Friday  the  disgraced  procurator 
was  doomed  to  appear  on  a  black  mule  with  a 
white  spot  —  like  a  Roman  knight  —  and  show 
himself. 

So  great  was  the  fear  of  Pilatus  that  until 
comparatively  modern  times  no  one  dared  to  go 
up  to  it.  Now  there  is  a  railway,  and  the  ghost 
of  Pilate  is  laid.  Sir  Edwin  Arnold  speaks  of 
the  legend  in  his  lilting  poem :  — 

"  He  riseth  alone,  —  alone  and  proud 
From  the  shore  of  an  emerald  sea; 
His  crest  hath  a  shroud  of  the  crimson  cloud, 


On  the  Shores  of  Lake  Lucerne     449 

For  a  king  of  the  Alps  is  he; 
Standing  alone  as  a  king  should  stand, 
With  his  foot  on  the  fields  of  his  own  broad  lands. 

"  And  never  a  storm  from  the  stores  of  the  North 

Comes  sweeping  along  the  sky 
But  it  emptieth  forth  the  first  of  its  wrath 

On  the  crags  on  that  mountain  high; 
And  the  voice  of  those  crags  has  a  tale  to  tell 
That  the  heart  of  the  hearer  shall  treasure  well. 

"  A  tale  of  a  brow  that  was  bound  with  gold, 

And  a  heart  that  was  bowed  with  sin; 
Of  a  fierce  deed  told  of  the  days  of  old 

That  might  never  sweet  mercy  win, 
Of  legions  in  steel  that  were  waiting  by 
For  the  death  of  the  God  that  could  never  die. 

"  Of  a  dear  kind  face  that  its  kindness  kept 

Dabbled  with  blood  of  its  own; 
Of  a  lady  who  leapt  from  the  sleep  she  slept 

To  plead  at  a  judgment-throne. 
Of  a  cross  and  a  cry  and  a  night  at  noon 
And  the  sun  and  the  earth  at  a  sickly  swoon. 

"  But  climb  the  crags  when  the  storm  has  rule 

And  the  spirit  that  rides  the  blast, 
And  hark  to  his  howl  as  he  sweeps  the  pool 

Where  the  Roman  groaned  his  last; 
And  to  thee  shall  the  tongue  of  the  tempest  tell 
A  record  too  sad  for  the  poet's  shell." 


450  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  bareness  of  its 
sides  in  consequence  of  necromancer's  spells  it 
is  now  filled  with  beautiful  plant  life  —  hun- 
dreds of  varieties.  If  I  had  been  as  much  of 
a  botanist  as  I  am  a  collector  for  my  mental 
picture-gallery  I  might  fill  a  page  with  the 
names  and  descriptions  of  the  Alpine  flowers, 
which  I  noticed  as  merely  blue  or  pink  or  yel- 
low and  cared  little  for  distinguishing  them 
apart.  Once  during  one  of  my  trips  I  did  see 
the  edelweiss  growing,  but  it  is  not  very  pretty; 
but  the  fields  of  gentians  and  the  forget-me- 
nots  —  those  acres  of  blue  sky  fallen  to  earth 
and  growing  up  again  —  those  would  or  might 
inspire  and  extract  a  poem  from  the  most  pro- 
saic. 

We  went  together  also  to  the  top  of  the  Rigi, 
which  is  easily  attainable  by  railway. 

Topfer,  in  his  story  entitled  "  Les  Deux 
Scheidegg,"  gives  a  most  enthusiastic  descrip- 
tion of  an  avalanche.  I  think  I  like  the  view 
from  Pilatus  better  than  from  Rigi;  but  from 
both  the  mountains  look  like  a  colossal  ocean 
in  a  storm  and  suddenly  stricken  by  the  sight 
of  Medusa's  face! 

Ned  took  me  in  his  motor-boat  on  several 
trips  around  the  lake  which  has  so  many  names. 
I  was  not  really  so  much  interested  in  the  Will- 


ON    THE    LAKE    OF    LUCERNE. 


On  the  Shores  of  Lake  Lucerne     451 

iam  Tell  region  as  I  suppose  I  should  have 
been.  Suppose  it  were  proved  as  decisively  as 
Tell,  as  Eindridi  with  King  Olaf,  as  Hemingr 
with  King  Harald,  or  as  Geyti,  son  of  Alask, 
have  been  proved  to  be  mere  sun  myths,  that 
Napoleon  and  Apollo  were  really  the  same,  and 
that  George  Washington  was  only  a  sun  myth! 
His  axe  corresponds  to  the  bow  and  arrow; 
it  cuts  down  the  cherry-tree  of  darkness  with 
its  glittering  edge  and  brings  liberty  to  his 
fellow-man.  Who  would  then  care,  for  any 
sentimental  reasons,  to  go  to  Mount  Vernon? 
Why,  Schiller,  himself,  never  saw  the  Lake  of 
the  Four  Forest  Cantons  any  more  than  Cole- 
ridge ever  saw  Chamonix;  he  got  all  his  local 
colour  from  Goethe's  descriptions.  To  go  to 
the  Tell  Chapel  is  to  participate  in  a  fraud! 
Yet  the  natives  each  year  take  part  in  a  sort 
of  folk-play,  which  has  all  the  solemnity  of  a 
semi-religious  celebration.  I  did  not  care  to 
stop  as  we  passed  by;  still  less  when  we  took 
passage  in  a  big  Zeppelin  dirigible  and  looked 
down  upon  the  big  sprawling  lake  winding 
among  its  mountains ! 

Ned  actually  waked  up  enough  to  walk  with 
me  about  Lucerne;  like  one  who  always  has 
the  opportunity,  he  had  never  before  been 
through  the  two  covered  bridges  past  the  im- 


452  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

posing  water  tower  or  scrutinized  the  quaint 
wall  paintings.  He  went  with  me  to  see  the 
famous  Lion  of  Lucerne  —  one  of  the  few  me- 
morial monsters  that  do  not  pall  on  acquaint- 
ance. The  little  pool  in  front  adds  immensely 
to  the  effect. 

I  had  to  tear  myself  away  from  the  pleasant 
and  luxurious  home  of  my  friend.  I  went  back 
to  Lausanne  by  a  somewhat  different  route, 
taking  in  Sarnen,  Meyringen  and  Brienz,  and 
then  going  by  steamboat  from  end  to  end  of 
the  Brienzersee,  not  failing  to  spend  a  few 
hours  at  the  Giessbach.  They  illuminate  it  at 
night,  but  there  is  something  immodest  about 
such  an  exhibition;  it  is  like  catching  sight  of 
a  wood-nymph  or  a  water-fairy.  I  remem- 
ber once  seeing  a  great  fire  at  Niagara  Falls 
and  the  river  actually  turned  red  with  shame. 
But,  by  moonlight,  without  artificial  streams  of 
light,  it  must  be  enchanting. 

I  made  a  little  stay  at  Interlaken,  and  from 
there  I  ran  over  to  Lauterbrunnen,  where  the 
Staubbach  falls  over  its  frowning  suicidal  cliffs 
and  dies  before  it  reaches  the  valley.  It  is 
weird  and  ghostlike —  the  spirit  of  a  water- 
fall. I  walked  far  up  into  the  valley,  and,  com- 
ing back  to  the  hotel  once  more,  saw  that  deli- 
cate blush  on  the  Jungfrau.     I  don't  wonder 


On  the  Shores  of  Lake  Lucerne     453 

Thomas  Gray  declares  that  "  the  mountains  are 
ecstatic  and  ought  to  be  visited  in  pilgrimage 
once  a  year."  I  would  go  farther  and  say  that 
as  one  grew  older,  one  should  live  among  them 
or  in  sight  of  them. 


CHAPTER   XXV 

LAUSANNE   AGAIN     . 

N  going  back  I  walked  part  of  the 
way,  taking  in  inverse  order  Byron 's 
route,  which  is  interesting  because  he 
worked  his  reminiscences  of  it  into 
"  Manfred."  This  is  what  Byron  says,  and  it 
shows  how  poems  crystallize:  "  The  music  of 
the  cows'  bells  (for  their  wealth,  like  the  Pa- 
triarchs', is  cattle)  in  the  pastures  (which  reach 
to  a  height  far  above  any  mountains  in  Britain) 
and  the  shepherds,  shouting  to  us  from  crag 
to  crag,  and  playing  on  their  reeds  where  the 
steeps  appeared  almost  inaccessible,  with  the 
surrounding  scenery,  realized  all  that  I  ever 
heard  or  imagined  of  a  pastoral  existence  — 
much  more  so  than  Greece  or  Asia  Minor,  for 
there  we  are  a  little  too  much  of  the  saber  and 
musquet  order;  and  if  there  is  a  crook  in  one 
hand,  you  are  sure  to  see  a  gun  in  the  other  — 
but  this  was  pure  and  unmixed  —  solitary,  sav- 
age and  patriarchal:  the  effect  I  cannot  de- 
scribe.    As  we  went,  they  played  the  *  Ranz 

454 


THE   MUSIC    OF   THE   COWS'    BELLS." 


Lausanne  Again  455 

des  Vaches  '  and  other  airs  by  way  of  fare- 
well." 

The  pipes  of  the  shepherds  he  later  intro- 
duced into  "  Manfred:  " 

"  Hark!  the  note, 
The  natural  music  of  the  mountain  reed  — 
For  here  the  patriarchal  days  are  not 
A  pastoral  fable  —  pipes  in  the  liberal  air, 
Mix  with  the  sweet  bells  of  the  sauntering  herd.',' 

Still  in  the  high  lands  he  describes  threading 
the  long,  narrow  valley  of  the  Sarine  then 
little  traversed  by  travellers.  He  describes  the 
bed  of  the  river  as  very  low  and  deep,  "  rapid 
as  anger."  He  thought  the  people  looked  free 
and  happy  and  rich :  ' '  the  cows  superb ;  a  bull 
nearly  leaped  into  the  charaban  —  agreeable 
companion  in  a  post  chaise  —  goats  and  sheep 
very  thriving.  A  mountain  with  enormous  gla- 
ciers to  the  right  —  the  Kletsgerberg ;  further 
on,  the  Hockthorn  —  nice  names  —  so  soft !  — 
Hockthorn,  I  believe,  very  lofty  and  craggy, 
patched  with  snow  only;  no  glaciers  on  it,  but 
some  good  epaulettes  of  clouds." 

As  he  travelled  from  the  Canton  Vaud  into 
the  Canton  of  Bern  he  crossed  between  the 
Chateau  d'Oex  and  the  village  of  Saanen,  so 
I  reversed  the  order.    The  valley  then,  as  now, 


45G  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

was  famous  for  its  cheese.  Byron  says  it  was 
famous  for  cheese,  liberty,  property  and  no 
taxes,  also  bad  German.  They  passed  along 
the  valley  of  Simmenthal  and  came  into  the 
plain  of  Thun  by  its  narrow  entrance  with  high 
precipices  wooded  to  the  top.  He  crossed  the 
river  in  a  boat  rowed  by  women,  which  caused 
him  to  remark:  "  Women  went  right  for  the 
first  time  in  my  recollection."  He  visited  the 
modern  castle  of  Schadau  at  the  western  end 
of  the  Lake  of  Thun,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Aar. 
A  boat  took  them  in  three  hours  from  Castle 
Schadau  to  Neuhaus :  "  The  lake  small,  but  the 
banks  fine:    rocks  down  to  the  water's  edge." 

He  was  carried  away  by  the  splendour  of  the 
scenery  beyond  Interlaken.  The  glaciers  and 
torrents  from  the  Jungfrau  charmed  him.  He 
lodged  at  the  house  of  the  curate,  which  stood 
immediately  opposite  the  Staubbach  —  "nine 
hundred  feet  in  height  of  visible  descent."  He 
heard  an  avalanche  fall  like  thunder.  "  A 
storm  came  on  —  thunder,  lightning,  hail ;  all 
in  perfection  and  beautiful."  He  would  not  let 
the  guide  carry  his  'cane  because  it  had  a  sword 
concealed  in  it  and  he  was  afraid  it  might  at- 
tract the  lightning. 

He  thus  describes  the  fall:  —  "  The  torrent 
is  in  shape  curving  over  the  rock,  like  the  tail 


THE    STAUBBACH. 


Lausanne  Again  457 

of  a  white  horse  streaking  in  the  wind,  such 
as  might  be  conceived  would  be  that  of  the 
*  pale  horse  '  on  which  Death  is  mounted  in  the 
Apocalypse.  It  is  neither  mist  nor  water  but 
a  something  between  both;  its  immense  height 
(nine  hundred  feet)  gives  it  a  wave,  a  curve, 
a  spreading  here,  a  condensation  there,  wonder- 
ful and  indescribable. ' ' 
Here,  again,  he  got  aliment  for  "  Manfred:  " 

"  It  is  not  noon  —  the  sunbow's  rays  still  arch 
The  torrent  with  the  many  hues  of  heaven, 
And  roll  the  sheeted  silver's  waving  column, 
O'er  the  crag's  headlong  perpendicular, 
And  flings  its  lines  of  foaming  light  along 
And  to  and  fro,  like  the  pale  courser's  tail, 
The  giant  steed,  to  be  bestrode  by  Death 
As  told  in  the  Apocalypse." 

The  rainbow  was  suggested  by  the  sun  shining 
on  the  lower  part  of  the  torrent,  "  of  all  colors 
but  principally  purple  and  gold,  the  bow  mov- 
ing as  you  move." 

A  day  later  he  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  Wen- 
gern  Mountain,  five  thousand  feet  above  the 
valley,  the  view  comprising  the  whole  of  the 
Jungfrau  with  all  her  glacier,  then  the  Dent 
d 'Argent,  "  shining  like  truth,"  the  two  Eigers 
and  the  Wetterhorn.    He  says:   "  I  heard  the 


458  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

avalanches  falling  every  five  minutes  nearly  — 
as  if  God  was  pelting  the  Devil  down  from 
Heaven  with  snowballs.  From  where  we  stood, 
on  the  Wengern  Alp,  we  had  all  these  in  view 
on  one  side :  on  the  other,  the  clouds  rose  from 
the  opposite  valley,  curling  up  perpendicular 
precipices  like  the  foam  of  the  Ocean  of  Hell 
during  a  Springtide  —  it  was  white  and  sul- 
phury and  immeasurably  deep  in  appearance." 
From  the  summit  they  "  looked  down  upon  a 
boiling  sea  of  cloud,  dashing  against  the  crags 
on  which  we  stood." 

The  avalanches  and  sulphurous  clouds  of 
course  became  part  of  the  decor  of  "  Man- 
fred: " 

"  Ye  avalanches,  whom  a  breath  draws  down 
In  mountainous  overwhelming,  come  and  crush  me! 
I  hear  ye  momently  above,  beneath, 
Crash  with  a  frequent  conflict;  but  ye  pass, 
And  only  fall  on  things  which  still  would  live. 

"  The  mists  boil  up  around  the  glaciers;  clouds 
Rise  curling  fast  beneath  me,  white  and  sulphury, 
Like  foam  from  the  roused  ocean  of  deep  Hell." 

He  saw  the  Grindelwald  Glacier  distinct,  though 
it  was  twilight,  and  he  compared  it  to  a  frozen 
hurricane,  a  figure  which  he  put  unchanged  in 
his  poem: 


Lausanne  Again  459 


"O'er  the  savage  sea, 
The  glassy  ocean  of  the  mountain  ice, 
We  skim  its  rugged  breakers,  which  put  on 
The  aspect  of  a  tumbling  tempest's  foam, 
Frozen  in  a  moment." 

Passing  over  the  Great  Scheideck,  Rosenlaui, 
the  Falls  of  the  Reichenbach  ("  two  hundred 
feet  high  "),  the  Valley  of  Oberhasli,  he  reached 
Brienz,  where  four  of  the  peasant  girls  of  Ober- 
hasli sang  the  airs  of  their  country  — ' '  wild 
and  original  and  at  the  same  time  of  great 
sweetness." 

The  summer  was  drawing  to  an  end.  I  had 
got  somewhat  tired  of  excursions,  and  was  con- 
tent to  settle  down  to  a  regular  course  of  read- 
ing. I  suppose  if  it  had  not  been  for  my  be- 
loved relatives  I  might  have  been  tempted  to 
plan  for  a  winter  in  Rome,  which  had  for  years 
seemed  to  me  a  desirable  place  to  visit.  If  it 
had  not  been  for  these  same  dear  ones,  there 
were  a  dozen  places  in  Switzerland  which  would 
have  attracted  me.  I  detest  the  cold,  and  Mon- 
treux,  which  has  been  called  the  Riviera  of 
Helvetia,  offered  a  climate  tempered  against 
the  pernicious  bise.  We  ran  up  to  the  Tour 
d'Ai  one  afternoon  and  I  was  fascinated  with 
the  place. 


460  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

"Will  and  I  made  a  walking  trip  through  the 
Bernese  Oberland  and  we  both  liked  Thun.  He 
suggested  that  it  was  because  we,  or  I,  hap- 
pened to  be  musical.  I  vowed  that  I  would, 
in  some  way,  get  possession  of  the  Twelfth- 
Century  Castle  of  Zahringen-Kyburg,  have  it 
refitted  with  all  American  conveniences  and  live 
there  the  rest  of  my  days  —  provided  I  could 
find  the  right  kind  of  a  housekeeper.  Seriously, 
is  there  any  more  magnificent  view  in  all  Swit- 
zerland than  from  the  environs  of  Thun  and 
from  the  lake?  I  trow  not.  But  perhaps  one 
would  weary  of  too  grandiose  views ;  after  all, 
for  human  nature's  daily  food,  human  society 
is  preferable  to  mountains,  and  the  fact  that 
the  tamer  lakes,  such  as  Leman  and  Constance, 
seem  to  attract  for  regular  residence  more  con- 
genial personages  than  I  could  find  dwelt  at 
Thun  might  make  one  pause  in  one's  plan  to 
oust  the  museum  and  turn  public  property  into 
a  selfish  private  possession.  I  could  not  follow 
Voltaire's  example  and  buy  every  chateau  I 
saw  and  liked! 

So  I  was  contented  enough  with  Lausanne 
as  a  home.  I  do  not  propose  to  inflict  on  my 
friends  an  account  of  every  excursion  that  I 
took.  That  through  the  Oberland  perhaps 
more   than   any  other  made   me   realize   how 


Lausanne  Again  461 

completely  I  was  subjected  to  that  peculiar 
hypnotic  influence  which  we  agree  to  call  a 
spell. 

It  is  a  curious  thing  that  in  many  of  the  high 
mountain  passes,  where  desolation  of  barren- 
ness reigns,  there  is  a  lake  said  to  have  been 
formed  by  the  tears  of  Ahasuerus,  the  Wan- 
dering Jew.  For  instance,  when  he  first  came 
to  the  Grimsel  pass,  between  Bern  and  Valais, 
it  was  radiant  with  fertile  beauty ;  the  climate 
was  warm;  it  supported  a  happy  population; 
but  he  passed  like  a  desolating  breath,  and 
when,  years  later,  he  came  again,  in  that  never- 
ceasing  round,  all  was  changed.  He  wept  and 
his  tears  formed  "  The  Lake  of  the  Dead  "  — 
Der  Totensee.  In  it  lie  the  bones  of  those 
who  perished  in  that  terrible  struggle  between 
the  Austrians  and  the  French  in  1799.  There 
are  all  sorts  of  wonderful  legends  which  one 
might  collect.  For  instance,  how  came  the 
Grindelwald  to  be  so  wide?  —  not  that  it  is  so 
wide,  —  but  still  it  is  wider  than  it  once  was ! 
Well,  Saint  Martin  came  there  and  was  not 
satisfied  with  its  appearance,  so  he  pried  the 
valley  walls  apart.  The  prints  of  his  feet  are 
visible.  On  the  way  to  the  Grimsel  we  spent  a 
long  time  at  the  Handeck  Fall,  which  is  re- 
garded as  the  finest  in  Europe;   the  Aar  with 


462  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

considerable  volume  of  water  falls  into  an  abyss 
about  twenty-three  meters  higher  than  Niag- 
ara. 

I  followed  Byron's  footsteps  in  following 
Rousseau's  —  only  much  more  deliberately.  It 
is  rather  difficult  now,  for  many  of  the  houses 
which  sheltered  Rousseau  and  his  fair  mistress 
have  been  destroyed ;  that  one  which  belonged 
to  Madame  de  Warens's  father,  J.  B.  de  la  Tour, 
"  Baron  de  1 'Empire,"  was  taken  down  in  1889. 
The  daughter  was  educated  at  Lausanne  and 
married  Noble  Sebastien-Isaac  de  Loys,  son  of 
the  Seigneur  de  Villardin,  and  a  soldier  who 
had  fought  in  the  Swedish  service.  As  M.  de 
Loys  possessed  a  seigneurie  in  a  neighbouring 
village  he  took  the  name  of  it  and  called  himself 
Vuarens,  which  the  Bernese  made  into  Warens. 
I  sympathized  with  poor  M.  de  Warens.  He 
tells  the  story  of  his  marital  troubles  in  a  letter 
which  is  a  volume  and  breathes  sincerity.  But 
there  is  a  good  deal  of  comedy  about  the  whole 
affair,  and  only  Madame  de  Warens's  pathetic 
ending,  in  poverty  and  neglect,  makes  one  feel 
sorry  for  her. 

In  1762  the  Comte  d'Escheray  —  a  young 
man  of  twenty-nine  —  happened  to  be  living  in 
a  little  house  at  Motiers-Travers,  in  a  delight- 


Lausanne  Again  463 

ful  valley,  spending  his  time  in  the  cultivation 
of  literature  and  music,  in  walking  and  in  hunt- 
ing. Rousseau  was  there  also,  and  the  count 
gives  a  lively  narrative  of  his  acquaintance  with 
the  philosopher ;  his  dinners,  his  conversations, 
his  evening  walks  in  the  woods,  singing  duets. 
One  day  he  and  Rousseau  walked  from  Colom- 
bier  to  Les  Brenets  —  six  leagues  —  stopping 
every  little  while  to  study  the  wild  places.  The 
count  says:  "  I  consider  this  little  portion  of 
the  Jura,  enclosed  in  the  boundaries  of  Neucha- 
tel,  as  one  of  the  most  curious  countries  in  the 
world  for  the  philosopher,  the  physician,  the 
geologist,  the  artist  and  the  mechanician  to 
study."  They  finally  came  to  the  residence  of 
M.  du  Peyron,  a  rich,  charitable  American. 
Rousseau  took  kindly  to  him  and  they  botanized 
together. 

It  was  a  pleasant  excursion  to  pick  out  Rous- 
seau's tracks  in  this  expedition. 

I  also  made  a  study  of  Voltaire's  life,  and 
read  a  great  deal  of  his  writings.  I  prepared 
an  article  on  his  theatrical  ventures.  One  of 
his  chateaux  was  Monrion  (which  means  mons 
rotundus)  on  the  crest  between  Lausanne  and 
the  lake.  It  was  a  square  two-story  building 
with  high  attic  and  L-shaped  wings.  It  had 
twenty-four  rooms  with  superb  views.    He  did 


464  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

not  live  in  it  long,  and  it  passed  into  the  hands 
of  Dr.  Tissot.  Voltaire  moved  into  a  house  in 
Lausanne,  6,  Rue  du  Grand  Chene,  and  here  he 
gave  theatrical  entertainments.  He  also  organ- 
ized them  at  Monrepos,  a  chateau  then  owned 
by  the  Marquis  de  Langalerie.  The  stage  was 
in  the  barn  but  the  spectators  were  in  the  house. 
He  wrote  his  friends  about  the  success  of  them : 
"  I  play  the  old  man,  Lusignan.  ...  I  assure 
you,  without  vanity,  that  I  am  the  best  old  fool 
to  be  found  in  any  company.' '  To  his  friend 
Thiriot:  "  I  wish  that  you  had  passed  the  win- 
ter with  me  at  Lausanne.  You  would  have  seen 
new  pieces  performed  by  excellent  actors, 
strangers  coming  from  thirty  leagues  around, 
and  my  beautiful  shores  of  Lake  Leman  become 
the  home  of  art,  of  pleasure,  and  of  taste."  To 
his  niece,  Madame  de  Fontaine:  "  The  idlers 
of  Paris  think  that  Switzerland  is  a  savage 
country;  they  would  be  very  much  astonished 
if  they  saw  '  Zaire  '  better  played  at  Lausanne 
than  it  is  played  at  Paris;  they  would  be  still 
more  surprised  to  see  two  hundred  spectators 
as  good  judges  as  there  are  in  Europe.  ...  I 
have  made  tears  flow  from  all  the  Swiss  eyes." 
When  he  moved  to  Geneva,  and  especially  when 
he  bought  the  chateau  of  Ferney,  so  that  he 
might  be  a  thorn  in  the  flesh  of  Genevese  sane- 


Lausanne  Again  465 

timoniousness,  he  was  older,  but  still  played  his 
parts. 

In  1760  Catherine  de  Chandieu,  then  a  girl 
of  nineteen,  was  at  Geneva  and  saw  Voltaire's 
play  "  Fanime,"  given  extremely  well  by  Ma- 
dame Denis,  Madame  Constant-Pictet,  Made- 
moiselle de  Basincourt  and  Voltaire  himself. 
She  describes  him  thus :  ' '  Voltaire  was  dressed 
in  a  way  which  was  enough  to  make  one  choke 
with  amusement;  he  wore  huge  culottes  which 
came  down  to  his  ankles,  a  little  vest  of  red 
silk  embroidered  with  gold;  over  this  vest  a 
very  large  vest  of  magnificent  material,  white 
embroidered  in  gold  and  silver ;  it  was  open  at 
one  side  so  as  to  show  the  undervest  and  on  the 
other  it  came  down  below  the  knee ;  his  culottes 
were  of  satin  cramoisi ;  over  his  great  vest  he 
wore  a  kind  of  coat  of  satin  with  silver,  and 
over  the  whole  a  blue  mantle  double  de  cra- 
moisi galooned  with  gold  and  superb ;  when  he 
appeared  on  the  stage  many  people  began  to 
laugh  and  I  was  one  of  them;  he  had  a  huge 
white  beard  which  he  had  to  readjust  several 
times,  and  a  certain  comic  look  even  in  the  most 
tragic  passages." 

Madame  de  Genlis  went  to  Geneva  on  pur- 
pose to  call  on  M.  de  Voltaire,  though  she  had 
no  letter  to  him.    He  invited  her  to  dinner,  and, 


466  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

by  a  mistake,  she  arrived  too  early.  She  gives 
a  very  entertaining  account  of  her  experiences. 
One  little  passage  is  characteristic : 

"  What  an  effect  the  presence  of  such  a  man 
as  Voltaire  must  have  had  on  the  pious  Gene- 
vans may  be  imagined  when  this  story  was  told 
of  him.  Shortly  after  the  publication  of 
*  Emile,'  Voltaire  was  discussing  Kousseau's 
marvellous  picture  of  the  sunrise.  '  I  must  try 
it/  said  he.  '  I,  too,  will  go  some  morning  on 
the  top  of  a  mountain ;  I  should  like  to  know  if 
one  is  really  compelled  to  adore  the  Creator  at 
daybreak.'  The  necessary  preparations  were 
made;  they  set  out  at  night  and  reached  just 
before  dawn  the  Col  de  la  Faucille  in  the  Jura. 
The  sunrise  was  splendid.  .  .  .  Voltaire  knelt 
down,  gazed  in  silence  and  then  said:  '  Yes, 
Creator  of  heaven  and  earth,  I  adore  you  before 
the  magnificence  of  your  works. '  .  .  .  Then  get- 
ting up,  he  rubbed  his  knees  and  cried :  '  Mais 
quant  a  monsieur  votre  fils  et  a  madame  sa 
mere,  je  ne  les  connais  pas !  ' 

"  When  Rousseau  heard  that  he  became  pen- 
sive and  then  said,  '  Oh,  that  man,  that  man, 
he  would  make  me  hate  the  page  of  my  works 
which  I  like  best.' 

"  When  the  earthquake  at  Lisbon  shocked 
the  whole  world  Pastor  Vernes  preached  a  cele- 


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Lausanne  Again  467 

brated  sermon  which  led  Voltaire  to  write: 
1  Sir,  it  is  said  you  have  written  such  a  beau- 
tiful sermon  on  the  event  that  it  would  have 
been  really  unfortunate  had  Lisbon  not  been 
destroyed,  for  we  should  have  been  deprived 
of  a  magnificent  discourse.'  " 

Another  plan  which  occupied  me  in  the  hours 
which  I  consecrated  to  regular  work  was  for  an 
article  on  the  village  festivals  of  Switzerland: 
—  The  charming  Narcissus  Festival  of  Mon- 
treux,  celebrated  in  May,  the  great  Fete  of  the 
Abbe  des  Vignerons,  so  fascinatingly  described 
by  Juste  Olivier  and  so  cleverly  worked  by 
James  Fenimore  Cooper  into  his  novel,  "  The 
Headsman."  It  would  include  processions 
through  picturesque  streets  and  the  rejoicings 
at  the  return  of  the  cows  from  the  Alp  with  the 
Eanz  des  Vaches :  — 

"  Blantz  et  neire, 
Rotz  et  motaile, 
Dzjouven  et  otro 
Les  sonaillire 
Van  lez  premire 
La  tdte  neire 
Van  lez  derriere: 
Hau!   hau!   llauba! " 

I  gathered  any  quantity  of  material  about 
Swiss  authors  and  composers:   Jacques  Hoff- 


468  The  Spell  of  Switzerland 

mann,  Johanna  Spyri,  Topfer,  Amiel,  Olivier, 

—  none,  perhaps,  stars  of  the  first  magnitude 

—  unless  the  Painter  Bbcklin  —  but  all  inter- 
esting. 

When  winter  came  we  went  to  see  the  winter 
sports  at  Saint-Moritz  —  the  skiing  where  it 
was  not  uncommon  for  some  of  the  French  and 
Norwegian  champions  to  leap  almost  thirty 
meters.  Indeed,  one  man  flew  through  the  air 
forty-six  meters,  but  could  not  keep  his  balance 
when  he  struck  far  down  the  slope.  I  was  not 
tempted  to  try  it. 

Switzerland  in  winter  is  even  more  beautiful 
than  in  summer.  The  uniform  blanket  of  daz- 
zling snow,  though  its  curves  are  filled  with 
vivid  tints  of  violet  and  blue,  may  be  hard  on 
the  eyes.  The  mercury  may  go  low  but  the 
purity  of  the  atmosphere  and  its  exhilaration 
atone  for  the  discomfort  of  cold.  In  the  house 
we  kept  warm  and  cozy.  The  children  were 
well  and  happy  and  I  stayed  on  and  on :  I  could 
not  resist  the  Spell. 


THE   END. 


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INDEX 


Abraham,  age  of,  433. 

"  Abraham's  Sacrifice,"  drama 
by  Theodore  de  Beze,  41. 

Acaunum,  old  name  of  Saint- 
Maurice,  340,  341. 

Adams,  Charles  Francis,  at 
Geneva,  248. 

Addison,  Joseph,  on  the  Alps, 
223;  makes  trip  round  Lake 
Leman,  291-294. 

Aeroplane,  279. 

Agassiz,  Louis,  studies  glacial 
action,  373. 

Agesilaus,  hero  of  Rousseau, 
236. 

Aiguille  du  Midi,  377. 

Aile,  Chateau  de  1',  120. 

Airolo,  captured,  423. 

Aix-les-Bams,  30. 

Alabama  claims,  settled  at 
Geneva,   247,   248. 

Albano,  Lake  of,  34. 

Alexander,  Father,  gives  amu- 
lets, 265. 

Allalinhorn,  ascent  of,  368, 
369. 

Allemanni,  invasions  of,  48; 
relics  of,  269,  441. 

Allobrogi,  208;  attack  the 
Carthaginians,  387;  free- 
dom loving,  433. 

Alpenglow,  11,  147;  described 
by  Javelle,  359;  from  Bern, 
412. 

Alphubel,  the,  369. 

Alpine  Club,  shelters  of  the, 
362;  Annuaire  of,  372. 


Alps,  formation  of,  12,  13; 
description  of,  163;  de- 
scribed by  Amiel,  184;  time 
in  crossing,  272;  effect  on 
Geneva,  293;  view  of,  340, 
348,  353;  motion  of,  366; 
ancient  passages  of,  382; 
from  the  Lake  of  Zurich,  441. 

Altorf,  422. 

Am6d6e  VIII,  Due,  monu- 
ment to,  at  Lausanne,  61. 

Amiel,  Henri-Frederic,  quoted, 
184,  468. 

Amphion,  Spring  of,  177. 

Anchor  Inn,  Byron  at,  138. 

Andermatt,  capture  of,  423. 

Angeville,  Mile.  Henriette  d', 
climbs  Mont  Blanc,  278. 

Annecy,  Madame  de  Warens 
at,  239;  Rousseau  at,  240; 
M.  Venture  at,  243. 

Aoste,  382. 

Apostles,  Gate  of  the  (Lau- 
sanne Cathedral),  58,  59. 

Ardon,  348. 

Areuse,  River,  403. 

Argentiere,  Mont,  seen  by 
Byron,  141,  370,  375. 

Arianna,  Mus6e,  treasures  of, 
269. 

Aristocracy,  in  Switzerland 
and  Spain,  71. 

Aristotle,  hero  of  Rousseau, 
236. 

Arnold,  Sir  Edwin,  poem  on 
Pilatus.  448,  449. 

Arpille,  the,  348. 


471 


472 


Index 


Art,  village  of,  309. 

Arval,  Mont,  122. 

Arve,  River,  123,  102;  junc- 
tion with  the  Rh6ne,  199, 
203"  in  Coleridge,  329;  in 
Shelley,  333;  dammed, 
375. 

Arveiron,  River,  329. 

Aubign6,  T.  A.  d',  tablet  to, 
212. 

Aubonne,  M.  d',  writeB  a  play, 
242. 

Aubonne,  torrent  of,  288. 

Augustus,  Emperor,  conquers 
the  Wallisi,  343. 

Auldjo,  M.,  shows  limit  of 
vision,  273. 

Aulph,  Saint  Jean  d',  hamlet 
of,  183. 

Auvergnier,  lake-dwellings  at, 
10. 

Auverme\  404. 

Avalanches,  108,  307,  458. 

Avenches,  a  modern  Pompeii, 
408. 

Aventicum,  relics  of,  408. 

Avignon,  30. 

"  Avis  au  Peuple,"  312. 

Aymon,  Count,  bestows  Cha- 
monix  valley,  371. 

Aztecs  and  Egyptians,  17. 

Bacon,  Lord,  on  travel,  323- 

325. 
Baedecker's  Guide-book,  322. 
Bagration,  420,  429. 
Bale  (Basel),  78;  Chatillon  at, 

251,  404,  439. 
Balfrin,  height  of  the,  352. 
Balgrist,  view  from  the,  440. 
Balmat,  Jacques,  climbs  Mont 

Blanc,  273-275;   monument 

to,  374. 
Balme,  Grotte  de,  217. 
Banc  du  Travers,  110. 
Barthelemv,  Chateau  de  Saint, 

51. 
Batiaz,  La,  castle  at,  340. 


Baulion,  La  Dent  de,  297,  298, 
300. 

Bears  of  Bern,  411. 

Beaufort,  Antoine  de,  127. 

beine,  the,  34,  100,  168. 

Bellegarde,  200. 

Bellinzona,  423. 

Belotte,  La,  view  of,  190. 

Bergues,  Hotel  des,  197. 

Bern,  robs  Lausanne,  60;  takes 
possession  of  Lausanne,  03, 
72,  78;  government  of,  79; 
separate  from  Rome,  120; 
persecutes  Rousseau,  240; 
joins  Geneva,  252;  lands  of, 
263;  receives  appeal  from 
Geneva,  267;  owns  Vaud, 
292;  bandiere  of,  405;  ar- 
caded  streets  of,  410;  mili- 
tarism of,  419. 

Bern,  The  Headsman  of,  110. 

Bernard,  Pass  of  Saint,  123, 
342. 

Berthe,  Queen,  48. 

Berthold  V,  founds  Bern,  410. 

Betzberg,  423. 

Bevaix,  Abbey  of,  403,  404. 

Bex,  "  smiling  village  "  of,  338. 

Beze,  Theodore  de,  at  Lau- 
sanne, 40;  at  Geneva,  257; 
offers  prayer,  266. 

Bich,  Jean  Baptist  e,  reaches 
top  of  Matterhorn,  356. 

Biel,  405. 

Bienne,  78;  lake  of,  246,  408. 

Bionnassay,  Glacier  of,  272. 

Birds  of  Lake  Leman,  194. 

Bise,  la,  138,  102. 

Blackie,  John  Stuart,  poem  of, 
363. 

Blancherose,  Doctor,  asks  in- 
convenient questions,  64. 

Blecheret,  Jacques,  city  physi- 
cian at  Lausanne,  311. 

Blegno,  Valdi,  422. 

Bloch,  Baron  von,  war  mu- 
seum, 446. 

Blonay,  castle  of,  71,  402. 


Index 


473 


Bliimlisalp,  108,  413. 

Bobbio,  Abbey  of,  123. 

Bodensee,  434. 

Bois  d'Amont,  Le,  302. 

Bois  de  la  Batie,  204. 

Bolsec,  Jerome,  gets  better  of 
Calvin,  211,  212. 

Bomilcar,  King,  383. 

Bonaparte,  Joseph,  castle  of, 
288. 

Bonivard,  Francis,  career,  126, 
127;  dungeon  of,  131;  char- 
acter of,  137;  prison  of,  154; 
at  University  of  Geneva, 
250;  petitions  Council  of 
University,  256. 

Bonnet,  Charles  de,  influence 
of,  52. 

Bonneville,  381,  403. 

Bons,  M.  de,  describes  rock- 
fall,  190. 

Bonstetten,  Karl  Viktor  von, 
52. 

Borgne,  the  gorge  of,  350. 

Bossey,  Rousseau  at,  228,  236. 

Bossons,  Glacier  des,  374,  381. 

Boston,  at  Lausanne,  69. 

Bourbourg,  Brasseur  de,  the- 
ory of,  17. 

Bourg,  Rue  du,  69. 

Bourgoin,  382. 

Bourrit,  Marc  -  Theodore, 
"  Historian  of  the  Alps," 
272;  discovers  the  Col  du 
Geant,  273. 

Boutry,  403. 

Bovannaz,  108. 

Boveret,  154. 

Bozen,  444. 

Bregaglia,  rockfall  at,  291. 

Brenets,  Les,  463. 

Bretigny,  Seigneur  de,  gift  of, 
51. 

BreVent,  Le,  climbed  by  De 
Saussure,  271. 

Brevoort,  Miss,  attempts  Mat- 
terhorn,  356. 

Brienz,  452,  459. 


Brionne,  Comtesse  de,  315. 

Broccone  Pass,  444. 

Brogny,  Cardinal  Jean  de, 
builds  chapel,  213;  at- 
tempts to  found  University 
of  Geneva,  249. 

Bronte,  Charlotte,  119. 

Broye,  the,  408. 

Brunegghorn,  the,  352. 

Brunn,  Frederika,  "  Cha- 
mouni  at  Sunrise,"  327. 

Brutus,  hero  of  Rousseau,  236. 

Bryant,  William  Cullen,  de- 
scribes the  Arve,  376. 

Bultogerus,  Henricus,  431. 

Burkli,  Karl,  leadership  of, 
21. 

Byron,  Lord,  criticizes  Swit- 
zerland, 87;  memories  of, 
121,  135;  sonnet  on  Lake  of 
Geneva,  137;  at  Sdcheron, 
137;  excursion  with  Shelley 
on  Lake  Leman,  138;  writes 
third  canto  of  "Chikle  Har- 
old," 140;  criticized  by 
"  Dora  d'Istria,"  149;  at 
Coppet,  281,  2S6;  at  Au- 
bonne,  288;  on  music  of 
cowbells,  454. 

Caesar,  Julius,  208;  names 
Nyon,  287;  mentions  Octo- 
diirus,  342. 

Calvaires,  184. 

Calvin,  John,  banished  by 
Geneva,  65;  burial-place  of, 
209;  chair  of,  211;  adopted 
by  Geneva,  232;  lacks  mon- 
ument, 234;  takes  charge  of 
University,  251. 

Calvinism,  72,  75. 

Carcassonne,  29. 

Carrel,  Jean  Antoine,  reaches 
top  of  Matterhorn,  356. 

Carrel,  Miss,  attempts  Mat- 
terhorn, 356. 

Cassaccia,  422. 

Carthage,  destruction  of,  382. 


474 


Index 


Castillio,  driven  out  of  Ge- 
neva, 65. 

Cau,  Mont,  155. 

Caucasus,  the,  32,  33. 

Cenis,  Mont,  tunnel  of,  354; 
used  by  Hannibal  (?),382. 

Cerjat,  Gaston  de,  buys  Cha- 
teau de  Saint-Barthelemy, 
52. 

Cellemberg,  Comte  de,  sings 
delicious  airs,  94. 

Cerlier,  403. 

Cervin,  Le,  350;  glimpse  of, 
354-356;  form  of,  357, 
369. 

Chamb6ry,  seized  by  France, 
267;   Jean  Volat  de,  311. 

Chamblais,  Province  of,  123. 

Chablais,  183;  under  Duke  of 
Savoy,  263,  292. 

Chamonix,  185;  summit  of, 
263,  271;  discovery  of,  279, 
372;  poems  on,  327-336; 
name  of,  371;  glaciers  at, 
373;  formation  of,  374; 
centre  of  traffic,  377,  451. 

Champery,  starting-point  for 
la  Dent  du  Midi,  185. 

Chandieu,  Charles  de,  49; 
family  of,  49,  50;  Catherine 
de,  51,  465. 

Chanvan,  Chateau  de,  305. 

Charlemagne,  Emperor,  pre- 
sents Saint-Maurice  with 
ewer  and  crozier,  341. 

Charles  II,  Duke  of  Bruns- 
wick's gift  to  Geneva,  204; 
monument  to,  205,  407. 

Charles  Emmanuel  of  Savoy, 
attacks  Geneva,  264;  char- 
acterizes his  general,  266. 

Charles  Augustus,  Duke  of 
Weimar,  308. 

Charles  the  Bold,  defeat  of,  at 
Grandson,  62,  402-406. 

Charles  III,  Duke  of  Savoy, 
128. 

Charles  IV,  Emperor,  attempts 


to  found  University  at  Ge- 
neva, 249. 

Charriere,  Madame  de,  writes 
a  play,  94;  balloon  of,  118, 
318;  Professor  d'Apples  de, 
314. 

Chastelard,  403. 

Chatelard,  manoir  of,  155. 

Chatillon,  Sebastien,  professor 
at  Geneva,  251. 

Chaumeny,  mountain,  154. 

Chaumont  (at  Neuchatel),  408. 

"  Childe  Harold,"  140. 

Chillon,  Castle  of,  106,  121, 
122-136;  described  by  Juste 
Olivier,  146;  finest  aspect 
of,  147;  described  by  "  Dora 
d'Istria,"  154;  mentioned  by 
Rogers,  169;  from  La  Ddle, 
304. 

"  Cid,  The,"  performed  at 
Geneva,  258. 

Cite,  La  (Lausanne),  80. 

Clairmont,  Jane,  with  Shelley 
at  Secheron,  138. 

Clarens,  121,  155,  161. 

Claude,  Canonici  of  Saint,  302. 

Claudius,  makes  Octodurus 
market-town,  344. 

Gavel,  arms  of,  48. 

Claviere,  Etienne,  banished 
from  Geneva,  267. 

Cluges,  381. 

Cockburn,  Sir  Alexander  J.  E., 
at  Geneva,  247. 

Coire,  Russians  at,  430. 

Col  de  la  Seigne,  382. 

Col  du  Midi,  370. 

Coleridge  discussed,  327-332, 
451. 

Collanges,  Avenue  de,  37,  40. 

Colombier,  404,  463. 

Combin,  Le  Grand,  106. 

Comte,  Auguste,  30. 

Confignon,  Rousseau  at,  238. 

Conrad,  Duke  of  Zahringen, 
builds  convent,  401. 

Conrad,      Emperor,      founds 


Index 


475 


Church  of  St.  Peter  at  Ge- 
neva, 210. 

Consise,  lake  dwellings  at, 
432. 

Constance,  Lake  of,  434. 

Constans,  382. 

Constant  de  Rebecque,  Benja- 
min, as  a  musician,  95;  love- 
affair  with  Mme.  de  Stael, 
281;  adoration  of,  285. 

Constantin  Pavlovitch,  Grand 
Duke,  422,  426,  428. 

Coolidge,  W.  A  B.,  describes 
Matterhorn,  357. 

Cooper,  James  Fenimore,  109; 
describes  Lake  Leman,  110, 
111;  on  neglected  views,  224; 
at  Geneva,  261;  describes 
Lake  Leman,  262,  467. 

Coppet,  Barony  of,  84;  men- 
tioned by  Rogers,  169;  Ma- 
dame de  Stael  at,  280-286. 

Corcelle,  404. 

Cordier,  Mathurin,  resigns  as 
professor  at  Geneva,  251. 

"  Corinne,"  281;  Madame  de 
Stael  in  character  of,  285. 

Cormondreche,  404. 

Cornaz,  Jacques-Daniel,  sells 
Chateau  de  l'lsle,  51. 

Corneille,  263. 

Cortailloud,  403. 

Coryat,  Thomas,  "  Crudities  " 
of,  431. 

"  Cossacks,  The,"  quoted,  32. 

C6te,  Montagne  de  la,  climbed, 
272,  274. 

Courland,  Pierre  de,  317;  at 
Lausanne,  317. 

Couteau,  H.,  painter,  16. 

Grassy  (Crassier),  town  of,  79. 

Credo,  Mont,  305. 

Cret  d'eau  (Credo),  185. 

Cretes,  Chateau  des,  121 

Criant,  Pierre,  18,  21,  201,  202, 
203. 

Crissier,  portrait  at  Chateau 
de,  314. 


Crousaz;     Jean     Pierre     de, 

"  Logic  "  of,  77. 
Crousaz,  Madame  de  (Monto- 

lieu),  321. 
Cully,  119. 
Cuxchod,    Mile.   Suzanne,   79; 

her  beauty,  80. 
Curchod,  Pastor,  death  of,  82. 

Dard,  Cascade  du,  381. 

Daudet,  Alphonse,  30. 

David  fountain  at  Bern,  412. 

Davoz-Platz,  444. 

Debate  between  Catholic  and 
Protestant  parties,  63,  64. 

Delilah,  438. 

Dent,  Blanche  la,  361. 

Dent  du  Midi,  la,  38;  height 
of,  66,  105;  description  of, 
106;  ascent  of,  185. 

Devil,  Swiss  names  of  the,  220. 

Devil's  Bridge,  424;  granite 
cross  at,  430. 

Devonshire,  Georgianna, 
Duchess  of,  dinner  to,  92. 

Dexter,  Lord  Timothy,  ex- 
ample of,  53. 

Deyverdun,  Georges,  56;  plays 
the  spinet,  94;  death  of,  96; 
inspires  Gibbon,  98;  so- 
ciety founded  by,  68;  early 
diaries  of,  77;  invites  Gib- 
bon to  Lausanne,  85,  86; 
indolence  of,  88. 

Diablerets,  Les,  45;  dance  of 
Wotan  on,  217. 

Diodati,  Villa,  Byron  at,  139. 

Dissentis,  422. 

Dol,  town  of,  26. 

Dole,  la,  178;  Goethe's  ascent 
of,  295-307. 

Dolomites,  the,  9,  401. 

Dom,  the,  353. 

Donnerbriihl,  411. 

Dorannaz,  108. 

Douglas,  Lord  Edward,  death 
of,  355;  body  lost,  356. 

Dranse,  La,  162,  180;    valley 


476 


Index 


of,  183;    cone  of,  193,  342; 

overflow  of,  346;  robbed  by 

the  Rhone,  348. 
Druidical  rites,  105. 
Ducommun,  Abel,  Rousseau's 

master,  237. 
Dufour,        General,        places 

plaques    on    le    Niton,    65; 

reckons  heights,  66. 
Duluth,  compared  in  latitude 

to  Lausanne,  112. 
Dumas,    Alexandre,    Pere, 

quoted,  103. 
Duvillard,  map  of,  260. 

Ecluse,  Fort  1',  305. 

Edelspitze,  the,  353. 

Education  of  Rousseau,  236; 
of  French  children,  237. 

Egli,  Emil,  discovers  9th  cen- 
tury MS.,  340. 

Eiger,  the,  seen  from  Bern,  413. 

"Ekkehard,"  434. 

Elephants  cross  the  Rh6ne, 
385;   pass  the  Alps,  391. 

Eliot,  George,  portrait  of,  at 
Geneva,  260. 

Elton,  Sir  Charles  Abraham, 
translator  of  Silius  Italicus, 
394. 

Emerson,  Ralph  Waldo,  paro- 
died, 36;  on  travel,  326. 

"  Emile,"  shocks  Calvinists, 
233,  466. 

Emmenthal,  150. 

Enoch,  Louis,  Regent  of  Ge- 
neva University,  251. 

Entebuchel,  remains  at,  440. 

Enville,  Due  d',  studies  glacial 
action,  372. 

Epaune,  destruction  of,  187. 

Erlach,  Rudolf  von,  statue  to, 
411. 

Erlenbach,  221. 

Ermenonville,  Rousseau  dies 
at,  246. 

Escalade,  fountain  of  the, 
264;  episode  of,  264-266. 


Escher,  Alfred,  autocracy  of, 
21. 

Escheray,  Comte  d',  trips 
with  Rousseau,   463. 

Estavayer,  Catherine  de,  loved 
by  Otho  de  Grandson,  60. 

Estavayer,  Gerard  de,  duel 
with  Otho  de  Grandson,  60. 

Etruscans,  perhaps  settled  Zu- 
rich, 433. 

Eugster,  Fidele,  aerial  railway 
of,  377. 

Evarts,  William  M.,  at  Ge- 
neva, 248. 

Everest,  Mount,  33. 

Evian,  Byron  and  Shelley  at, 
139;   night  at,  177. 

Evionnaz,  catastrophe  at, 
188. 

Eynard,  Charles,  Life  of  Dr. 
Tissot,  13-18. 

Fairy   of   Lake   Leman,    The, 

114. 
Falzarego,   new   road   of  the, 

444. 
"  Fanime,"     Voltaire's     plaj', 

465. 
Farel,  banished  by  Geneva,  65. 
Faucigni     (Faucigny),    moun- 
tains of,  263,  296. 
Faucille,  Col  de  la,  466. 
Faulhorn,  the,  352. 
Felicite,  Col  de,  356. 
Felix  V,  Pope,   at  Lausanne, 

61,  62. 
Ferney,  169,  197,  464. 
Finetta,  218,  337. 
Finsteraarhorn,  the,  108;  seen 

from  Bern,  413. 
Fish  of  Lake  Leman,  194. 
Flegere,  view  from,  381. 
Flims,  derivation  of,  192. 
Flon,  River,  69,  75. 
Flowers  of  the  Alps,  152,  450. 
Fog,  Alpine,  156,  177,  299. 
Fontaine,  Mme.  de,  Voltaire's 

letter  to,  464. 


Index 


477 


Forces    Motrices    at    Geneva, 

199. 
Forclaz,  Col  de  la,  310. 
Forel,  M.,  34. 
Foron,  torrent  of,  193. 
Four  Cantons,   Lake  of,  444, 

450. 
Franche-Comte\  300,  303,  361. 
Frangois     I,     court     of,     40. 
Fraumunster,  the,   at   Zurich, 

436. 
Frederick     the     Great,     246; 

treated  by  Dr.  Tissot,  314. 
Freres  Mineurs,  Monastery  of 

the,  249. 
Fribourg,    Rousseau   at,    243; 

bandiere  of,  405;   charm  of, 

409,  439. 

Gabelhorn,  the,  conquered, 
353. 

Galba,  holds  council  of  war, 
342. 

Gallatin,  Albert,  in  America, 
256. 

Gallatin,  Jean,  buys  Univer- 
sity gardens  at  Geneva, 
256. 

Gamier,  comedy  by,  performed 
at  Geneva,  258. 

Geant,  Col  de,  discovered  by 
Bourrit,  273;  sunset  from, 
276,  278. 

"  Geierstein,  Anne  of,"  173, 
180;  tower  of,  described  by 
Sir  Walter  Scott,  173-176. 

Geneva,  30,  34,  41,  65;  harbour 
of,  65,  138;  centre  of  Cal- 
vinism, 73;  typhoid  fever  at, 
113;  children  of,  126;  law- 
suit with  Vaud,  161,  195, 
197-267;  pride  in  Rousseau, 
232;  streets  of,  246;  Ala- 
bama claims  settled  at,  248; 
University  of,  249-260;  Con- 
stitution of,  267;  described 
by  Addison,  292 ;  Chateau  de 
Monnitier,  295;    fog    over, 


299;  trophy  at,  407;  Voltaire 
at,  464. 

Geneva,  Lake  of,  phenomena 
of,  109;  described  by  J.  F. 
Cooper,  110,  111;  depth  of, 
112;  fairy  of,  114;  first 
steamboat  on,  115;  de- 
scribed by  Byron,  135;  his 
sonnet  to  the  lake  of  Geneva, 
137;  described  by  Dora 
d'Istria,  150;  in  winter,  156; 
sunset  on,  158;  islands  in, 
160;  rise  of,  161;  winds  of, 
162;  described  by  Rogers, 
170;  fascinations  of,  182; 
birds  of,  194;  origin  of 
name,  208;  Madame  de 
Stael  on,  222;  Rousseau's 
apostrophe  to,  230;  Rous- 
seau's farewell  to,  231; 
made  famous  by  Rousseau, 
246;  described  by  Cooper, 
262;  view  from  Aubonne, 
288;  Addison  on,  291 ;  fog  on, 
304;  from  Madame  de  Crou- 
saz's,  321;  shores  of,  340; 
compared  with  Lake  of  Zu- 
rich, 441. 

Genlis,  Madame  de,  on  neg- 
lected views,  224;  at  Lau- 
sanne, 320;  visits  Voltaire, 
466. 

Genthod,  home  of  scientists, 
269,  275. 

Geology,  11,  12,  13,  14,  34,  35, 
192,  222,  290,  348. 

Gesner,  Konrad  von,  40. 

Gex,  Bonivard  at,  127;  under 
France,  292,  303. 

Gibbon,  Edward,  43,  55;  on 
caste,  71;  secures  a  maid- 
servant, 90;  prestige  of,  91; 
characterized,  94;  finishes 
History,  96 ;  love  for  nature, 
98;  requirements  in  a  wife, 
100;  converted  to  Catholi- 
cism, 74;  converted  back  to 
Orthodoxy,  77;  trip  through 


478 


Index 


Switzerland,  78;  engaged 
to  Suzanne  Curchod,  81,  82; 
letter  about  the  Neckers, 
84;  fame  of,  85;  wit  of,  86; 
aspect  of,  88;  manner  of 
life  of,  89;  in  Byron's  son- 
net, 137;  mentioned  by 
Rogers,  1G9;  reports  politi- 
cal situation  of  Geneva  to 
Lord  Sheffield,  267;  and  the 
Neckers,  280;  nickname  of, 
281 ;  dances  the  minuet,  318. 

Giessbach,  452. 

Glaciers,  187,  275,  357,  358, 
365;  action  of,  studied,  372, 
373,  374,  375,  456. 

Glarus,  stones  from,  221,  427; 
captured,  429. 

Gloucester,  Duke  of,  at  Lau- 
sanne, 317. 

Gobbera  Pass,  444. 

Gobelin  tapestries,  49. 

Goethe,  Johann  Wolfgang  von, 
159,  263;  asks  advice  of  De 
Saussure,  277,  307;  climbs 
La  Dole,  295-307;  helps 
Schiller,  451. 

Goldau,  308,  309. 

Goliath,  412,  418. 

Gorner  glacier,  351,  359;  grat, 
364;  avalanche  from,  367. 

Goschenen  Valley,  423. 

Gothard,  Saint  (Gotthard),  R. 
R.,  22. 

Goujon,  Jean,  sculpture  of,  at 
Geneva,  255. 

Gourze,  Tower  of,  48. 

Goutier,  Captain,  duel  with 
Isaac  Rousseau,  236. 

Grammont,  Le,  163;  ascent  of, 
166;  views  from,  166,  167. 

Grandson,  Otho  de,  duel  of, 
60,61;  castle  of,  402;  battle 
of,  403-407. 

Grappelen,  origin  of  name,  288. 

Gray,  Thomas,  308;  quoted, 
453. 

Gregory  X,  Pope,  58. 


Grenoble,  30. 
Grimsel-Pass,  373,  461. 
Grindelwald,  458,  461. 
Grisons,  hotel-keepers  of  the, 

370,  430. 
Gross-Munster  at  Zurich,  438. 
Grotte,    La,    bequeathed    by 

Georges     Deyverdun,     97; 

tower  of,  62. 
Gruet,  Jacques,  tortured,  65. 
Gruyeres,  shepherds  of,  108. 
Gstaad,  name  of,  287. 
Guibert,  Comte  de,  and  Mile. 

Necker,  281. 
Guizot,  30. 
Gurten,  view  from  the,  412. 

Hadloub,  poem  by,  437. 

Hadow,  David,  loses  life, 
355. 

Haller,  Albrecht  von,  influ- 
ence of,  52. 

Handeck  Fall,  461. 

Hannibal,  passage  of  the  Alps, 
382-399;   boats  of,  433. 

Hanno  commands  troops,  383. 

Hapsburgs,  the,  442. 

Harold,  Childe,  31. 

Harpe,  General  F.  C.  de  la, 
160,  161;   Iledela,  160. 

Harvard  University,  Albert 
Gallatin  at,  256;  like  Ge- 
neva University,  258. 

Hauk,  Minnie,  446. 

Haute-Champagne,  361. 

Havergal,  Frances  Ridley,  de- 
scribes la  Tete  Noire,  371. 

Heine,  quoted,  11. 

Heliogabalus,  Emperor,  208. 

H61o'ise,  La  Nouvelle,  70,  150, 
280. 

Helvetia,  Eye  of,  47. 

Helvetii,  capital  of  the,  408. 

Himalaya,  mountains  of  the, 
362. 

Henry  IV,  212. 

Hercules,  438. 

Helens,  Val  d',  350. 


Index 


479 


Hesse-Wartegg,     Ernst     von, 

446. 
Hessians  as  mercenaries,  69. 
Hetch-Hetchy  valley,  202. 
Hobhouse,    John    Cam,    with 

Lord  Byron,  136. 
Hockthorn,  the,  455. 
Hogg,  Thomas  Jefferson,  calls 

Chillon  ugly,  124. 
Hoffmann,  Jacques,  467. 
Hohberghorn,  the,  352. 
Hohentwil,  Castle  of.  434. 
Holmes,  Oliver  Wendell,  409. 
Holroyd,  Maria,  surprised  at 

Gibbon's    choice    of    Lau- 
sanne,  90. 
Holroyd,   J.  B.,  see  Sheffield, 

Lord. 
Hospinianus,  Rodolphus,  431. 
Houghton,     Lord,     poem    on 

English  travellers,  87. 
Huascaran,  Mt.,  33. 
Hudson,  Charles,  attains  top 

of  Matterhorn,  355. 
Hughes  de  Pierre,  chronicle  of, 

403-406. 
Hugo,    Victor,    autograph   of, 

at    Chillon,     135;     dislikes 

Geneva,  206,  266;  describes 

sunset,  308-310. 
Huns  (Saracens)  incursion  of, 

48. 
Huss,  John,  435. 
Hutten,  Ulrich  von,  442. 
Hydro-aeroplane,  on  Lake  Le- 

man,  115,  116,  117. 
Hypsometry,  bases  of  Swiss,  65. 

Icarus,  feelings  of,  118. 

Uanz,  430. 

Illens,  family  of  d',  60. 

Imfeld  relief-maps,  364. 

"  Indergand,  Albin,"  421. 

Initiative  and  referendum, 
value  of,  19,  20. 

Insurance,  Workmen's  Com- 
pulsory, 23. 

Interlaken,  452. 


Isle,  Chateau  de  1',  49. 
lstria,  Dora  d',  criticizes  Lord 

Byron,  149;   describes  Lake 

Leman,  150-159. 

Jaman,  Dent  de,  105,  107,  121. 

Javelle,  Etienne,  describes  a 
rock-fall,  186-191;  tells  about 
the  dragon  of  the  Jorat, 
219;  climbs  Matterhorn,  356; 
describes  sunset  from  Mat- 
terhorn, 358. 

Javernaz,  108. 

Jews,  prejudice  against,  21, 
124. 

Johnson,  Samuel,  refuses  to 
shake  hands  with  a  free- 
thinker, 91. 

Jolimont,  stones  of,  221. 

Jorat,  Heights  of,  46,  47,  103, 
127,  168;  Col  de,  186; 
dragon  of,  219. 

Joseph  II,  Emperor,  secures 
Dr.  Tissot  place  at  Pavia, 
314. 

Jost,  Haldebrandt,  exorcises 
rockfall,  188. 

Joux,  L'Abbaye  de,  301. 

Jungfrau,  10,  11,  33,  108;  seen 
from  Le  Grammont,  166; 
from  Bern,  413,  452. 

Jura,  the,  46,  79,  93;  at  night, 
142;  inhabitants  of,  163; 
seen  from  Le  Grammont, 
166;  pine-clad  heights  of, 
171;  forests  of,  181;  from 
Geneva,  255;  torrents  of, 
280;  character  of,  290;  Ad- 
dison on,  293;  meaning  of, 
297;  stone  from,  346;  pro- 
file of,  361;   view  of,  401. 

Kamor,  the,  108. 

Kant,  Immanuel,  119;  de- 
scription of  Switzerland, 
326;  on  freedom,  433. 

Kauffman,  Angelica,  paints 
portrait  of  Dr.  Tissot,  314. 


480 


Index 


Keith,  Marshal,  welcomes 
Rousseau,  246. 

Keller,  Ferdinand,  discover- 
ies of,  432. 

Kilauea,  lava-flow  on,  55. 

Kinzig  pass,  Russians  in  the, 
425. 

Kipfen,  gorge  of,  352. 

Kletsgerberg,  455. 

Klontalersee,  the,  428. 

K61tsova~Masalskaya,  the 
Princess  Helena,  criticizes 
Lord  Byron,  149;  describes 
Lake  Leman,  150-159. 

Koppen,  Herr,  plays  the  flute, 
95. 

Korsakof,  defeated  at  Zurich, 
427. 

Kubel,  Nicolas,  climbs  Mat- 
terhorn,  356. 

Kunchinjunga,  33. 

Kunoskephale,  meaning  of, 
107. 

Lake-dwellers,  16,  17,  34,  161, 
432. 

Lambert,  Saint,  silenced  by 
Rousseau,  232. 

Landeron,  403,  405. 

Langenthal,  linen-market  of, 
79. 

Langern,  M.  de,  405. 

Laupen,  411. 

Lausanne,  8,  30,  34,  35,  38,  40, 
45,  47;  cathedral  of,  42,  57, 
60,  64,  66;  university  of,  40, 
42,  43,  45;  name  of,  53,  54; 
stone  of,  57;  subject  to  Bern, 
63,  64;  size  of,  69;  education 
at,  70;  people  of,  75,  158; 
emigres  at,  89;  forest  of,  105; 
situation  of,  112;  memories 
of,  121;  mentioned  by  Rog- 
ers, 168;  life  in,  182;  Rous- 
seau at,  243;  Mathurin 
Cordier  at,  251;  Addison 
at,  294;  seen  from  La  Dole, 
296;  Goethe  at,  308;  Tissot 


at,  311-321;  Bishop  of,  at 
Fribourg,  409;  hurt  by 
Pilate,  448. 

Lavey,  spring  discovered  at, 
187. 

Law,  William  John,  on  Hanni- 
bal's passage  of  the  Alps,382. 

Leman,  Lake,  phenomena  of, 
109;  described  by  J.  F. 
Cooper,  110,  111;  depth  of, 
112;  Fairy  of,  114;  first 
steamboat  on,  115;  de- 
scribed by  Byron,  135;  in 
"  Childe  Harold,"  141-145; 
described  by  "  Dora  d'ls- 
tria,"  150;  in  winter,  156; 
sunset  on,  158;  islands  in, 
160;  rise  of,  161;  winds  of, 
162;  described  by  Rogers, 
169;  fascination  of,  182; 
birds  of,  194;  origin  of 
name,  208;  Madame  de 
Stael  on,  222;  Rousseau's 
apostrophe  to,  230;  Rous- 
seau's farewell  to,  231;  made 
famous  by  Rousseau,  246; 
described  by  Cooper,  262; 
by  Auguste  de  Sales,  263; 
view  from  Aubonne,  288; 
Addison  on,  291;  fog  on, 
304;  from  Madame  de  Crou- 
saz's,  321;  shores  of,  340; 
compared  with  Lake  Zu- 
rich, 441. 

Lebrun,  Madame,  portrait  of 
Madame  de  Stael,  285. 

Lessert,  family  of,  own  Cha- 
teau de  Saint-Barthelemy, 
51. 

"  Lettres  de  la  Montagne," 
Rousseau's,  cause  hubbub  in 
Geneva,  234. 

Liene,  crossing  of  the,  350. 

Limmat,  valley  of  the,  440. 

Lion  of  Lucerne,  452. 

Lis,  Dent  de,  108. 

Lisbon,  earthquake  of,  110, 
466. 


Index 


481 


Liubomirska,      Princess,      ex- 
pelled from  Lausanne,  316. 
Lizards  at  Montreux,  152. 
Loetschberg,    tunnel    of    the, 

354. 
London,    Lausanne    preferred 

to,  90. 
Lorraine,  Prince  Louis  de,  315. 
Louis  le  D6bonnaire,  122. 
Loup,  Plains  of  La,  62. 
Lovenex,  Lake  of,  163. 
Lowerz,  Lake  of,  309. 
Loys,    Sebastien     Isaac     de, 

462. 
Lubbock,    Sir    John,    quoted, 

12,  13;    on  beauty  of  high 

snow-fields,  364. 
Lucerne,  Lake,    34;    bandiere 

of,  405;   horns  of,  406;  lion 

of,  452. 
Lucerne,  City  of,  78,  180. 
Luternan,    Auguste    de,    first 

bailiff  of  Chillon,  128. 
Luther,  Martin,  442. 
Lutin,  Salle,  treasures  of  the, 

260. 
Lutry,  105,  119. 
Liitzelau,  Island  of,  422. 

Maeterlinck,  Maurice,  94,  126. 
Magenhorn,  the,  352. 
Maintenon,  Madame  de,  213. 
"  Manfred,"  quoted,  455,  457, 

458,  459. 
Mannes,  Heinrich,  founds  Li- 
brary, 436. 
Mannesse,       Rtidiger,       song 

books  of,  436. 
Mansard,  Francois,  architect, 

49. 
Maracaibo,  Lake,  piles  on,  16, 

17. 
Maria  Theresa  tries  to  engage 

Dr.  Tissot,  314. 
Marsens,  Ren£e  de,  48. 
Martel,     Pierre,    visits    Cha- 

monix,  372. 
Martel,  S.  A.,  quoted,  202. 


Martignv,  Roman  remains  at, 

342-346;  return  to,  370. 
Martin,  Tower  of  Saint,  120; 

miracles  of,  461. 
Martinach,  307. 
Massena,  427. 
Matterhorn,  350;    glimpse  of, 

354;    conquest  of,  354-356; 

form  of,  357,  369. 
Matter-Visp,  the,  368. 
Mattmark  See,  boulder  near, 

221. 
Maurice,   Saint,  described  by 

Rogers,    340;     mutiny    at, 

340-342. 
Mauricius,  leader  of  Thebaean 

legion,  341. 
Maximilian,  Emperor,   enrolls 

legion,  340. 
Mediterranean,    the,    35,    46; 

not  seen  from  Mont  Blanc, 

273. 
Meillerie,  squall  off,  139;  quar- 
ries of,  168,  320. 
Mercier,  91. 
Mer  de  Glace,   movement  of 

the,  373. 
Meschersky,     Prince,     killed, 

425. 
Meyringen,  452. 
Mex,  estate  of,  51. 
Midi,  Dent  du,  38,  66,  105. 
Milan,  123. 
Milvutin,      Nikolai,     quoted, 

425,  426. 
Mirage,     on      Lake     Leman, 

114. 
Misaucus,  Barons  of,  287. 
Mischabel,  the,  361. 
Mittaghorn,  the,  352. 
"  Modern  Painters,"  Ruskin's, 

quoted,  199. 
Moleson,  described  and  sung, 

108. 
Moncels,  les  Sept,  302,  303. 
Monch,  the,  seen  from  Bern, 

413. 
Monnetier,  Chateau  de,  295. 


482 


Index 


Mon  Repos,  at  Lausanne,  317, 
464. 

Monrion,  chateau  of  Voltaire, 
463. 

Montagny,  Major  Georges  de 
Molin  de,  inherits  La  Grotte, 
97. 

Mont-Allegre,  Shelley  at,  139. 

Montana,  plateau  of,  357. 

Mont  Blanc,  33,  45,  107,  111; 
seen  by  Byron,  141 ;  AJpen- 
glow  on,  147;  seen  from  Le 
Grammont,  166;  described 
by  Rogers,  171;  view  of 
from  Geneva,  216;  route  to, 
271;  curiosities  of,  276; 
first  women  to  climb,  278; 
Bride  of,  279;  view  from 
Nyon,  288;  seen  from  La 
Dole,  296,  300;  Coler- 
idge's poem  to,  discussed, 
327-332;  named,  372; 
Thomas  Moore  on,  380. 

Mont  Blanc,  Quai  du  (at  Ge- 
neva), 196,  205. 

Mont  du  Chat,  382. 

Montet,  boulder  at,  221. 

Montez,  Col  des,  370. 

Montgolfier  Brothers,  balloon 
of,  118. 

Monthey,  boulders  near,  222. 

Montigl,  origin  of  name,  287. 

Montolieu,  Madame  de,  281, 
321. 

Montreux,  115,  121,  123;  shops 
of,  128,  151;  views  from, 
153;  the  Riviera  of  Switzer- 
land, 459;  Narcissus  Festi- 
val, 467. 

Monty  on,  Baron  Auget  de,  at 
Lausanne,  317. 

Moore,  Thomas,  poem  on 
Mont  Blanc,  380. 

Morat,  battle  of,  63 ;  Lake  of, 
373,  405,  408. 

Morcles,  Dent  de,  105,  187, 
348. 

Morge,  the,  161,  348. 


Morges,  289. 
Moritz,  Saint,  468. 
Mozon,  the  River,  178. 
Mulets,    les  Grands,  378;   les 

Petits,  274,  279. 
Muotta,  the,  425,  428. 
Murray,  John,  Byron's  letter 

to,  140. 
Muveran,  le  Grand,  45. 

Naegueli,  Jean  Francois,  takes 
possession  of  Lausanne,  64. 

Napoleon,  called  a  Genghis 
Khan,  95;  reviews  army, 
96;  mentioned  by  Rogers, 
171,  288,  391;  foresight  of, 
417;  a  myth,  451. 

Napoleon  III,  204. 

Narcissus  Festival,  467. 

Naye,  Rochers  de,  105,  107. 

Necker,  Jacques,  marries  Mile. 
Suzanne  Curchod,  84;  Di- 
rector of  Treasury  of  France, 
85;  purchases  barony  of 
Coppet,  280. 

Nemi,  Lake  of,  34. 

Nernier,  195;  la  Pointe  de, 
110. 

Neuburg,  Lake  of,  305. 

Neuchatel,  lacustrians  of,  18, 
78;  meeting  at,  373;  troops 
at,  403;   gift  to,  407. 

Neuchatel,  Lake  of,  34,  178, 
402;  ghost  of,  217;  moun- 
tains of,  300. 

Neuhaus,  456. 

Ney,  Marshal,  266. 

Niagara  Falls,  203,  377,  452, 
462. 

Nice,  route  to,  369. 

Niege,  Cret  de  la,  178. 

Niton,  Pierre  de,  223. 

Noir  Mont,  297,  299,  301,  303 

Noirmontier,  Island  of,  23. 

North  Sea,  35. 

Novel,  162,  163. 

Novi,  battle  of,  421. 

Nozon,  the,  47. 


Index 


483 


Nyon,  origin  of  name,  287; 
poem  on,  288;  Addison  at, 
295,  307. 

Oberalp  Lake,  422,  423. 

Oberhasli,  Valley  of,  459. 

Oberland,  Bernese,  306,  370, 
460. 

Oche,  la  Dent  d',  163. 

Octodurus,  old  name  of  Mar- 
tigny,  342;  captured  by 
Romans,  343. 

Oelenschlseger,  Adam  Gott- 
lob,  285. 

Oeningen,  fossils  of,  15. 

Oeusannaz,  108. 

Oex,  Chateau  d',  455. 

Olivier,  Juste,  Swiss  poet, 
quoted,  67,  68,  108;  de- 
scribes Chillon,  146;  de- 
scribes the  Rhone,  336-338; 
advises  Alpine  climbing, 
339;  describes  les  Vignerons, 
467,  468. 

Omar  Khayyam,  41,  408. 

Ombliere,  fishing-bank  of,  154. 

Orbe,  the  River,  401. 

Ordre  du  College,  at  Geneva, 
257. 

Orlof,  Prince  Gregory,  at  Lau- 
sanne, 316. 

Orlova,  Princess,  tomb  of,  at 
Lausanne,  61. 

Ortler,  the,  361. 

Ouchy,  36,  103;  Byron  at, 
138;  waves  at,  162. 

Oxford,  expels  Gibbon,  74. 

Paccard,  Dr.  Michel,  reaches 
top  of  Mont  Blanc,  274; 
unjust  claims  of,  275. 

Pache,  Samuel  (Gibbon's  pro- 
tege), 90. 

Paderewski,  Ignaz,  villa  of, 
446. 

Palermo,  445. 

Palmer,  Sir  Roundel,  at  Ge- 
neva, 248. 


Panixer  Pass,  snow  on,  429. 

Paudeze,  valley  of  the  104. 

Paul,  Grand  Duke  of  Russia, 
at  Lausanne,  317. 

Pavilliard,  Daniel,  character 
of,  75;  discussions  with,  77; 
letter  to  Mrs.  Porten,  78. 

Pavilliard,  Madame  Carbo- 
nella,  meanness  of,  75. 

Peacock,  Thomas  Love,  By- 
ron's letter  to,  139,  140. 

Peilz,  Tour  de,  121;  Hot  de, 
160. 

Pelerin,  Mont,  48. 

Perrinists,  enemies  of  Calvin, 
252. 

Perte  du  Rhone,  La,  201. 

Pestalozzi,  Johann  Heinrich, 
school  of,  402. 

Peter,  Church  of  Saint,  Ge- 
neva, 210. 

Petrarca,  30. 

Peyron,  M.  du,  botanist,  463. 

Pezay,  Marquis  de,  apostro- 
phe of,  419. 

Pfyn,  351. 

Pheidippides,  410. 

Philippe  II,  threatens  Geneva, 
252. 

Phillipin,  Syndic  of  Geneva, 
pays  fine,  253. 

Pichard,  Adrien,  bridge  of,  56. 

Pictet  de  la  Rive,  Francois 
Jules,  269;   Raoul,  270. 

Pierra-Portay,  tombs  at,  104. 

Pierre,  Count  of  Savoy,  121; 
fortifies  Chillon,  123;  at 
Chillon,  146. 

Pierre  Pointue,  378. 

Pierre  a  Voire,  view  from,  348. 

Pilate,  legend  of,  448. 

Pilatus,  Mont,  180;  sunset  be- 
hind, 308;  proverb  about, 
447. 

Pitt,  William,  might  have  mar- 
ried Mademoiselle  Necker, 
281. 

Piz  Corvatsch,  444. 


484 


Index 


Piz  della  Marga,  444. 

Piz  Grialetsch,  444. 

Piz  Giiz,  444. 

Piz  Kesch,  444. 

Piz  Michel,  444. 

Piz  Vadret,  444. 

Plainpalais,  cemetery  of,  204; 

origin  of  name,  209. 
Planches,  Les,  155. 
Plater,   Count    Broel-,   founds 

Polish  Museum,  442. 
Po,  plain  of  the,  393. 
Pococke-Windham  party  dis- 
covers Chamonix,  372. 
Polybius,    on    Hannibal,    382; 

describes    passage    of   Alps, 

383-393. 
Polytechnikum  at  Zurich,  view 

from,  437. 
Pomponius,    Titus,    altar    of, 

346. 
Pont,  Le,  village  of,  298,  299, 

301. 
Pontareuse,  403. 
Pontresina,    origin    of    name, 

434. 
Pontverre,  M.  de,  attempts  to 

convert  Rousseau,  239. 
Pope's  Guard,  69. 
Pordoi,  new  road  of  the,  444. 
Potocka,  Countess,  patient  of 

Dr.  Tissot,  315;   head-dress 

of,  316. 
Poudriere,  Academie  de  la,  80. 
Prangins,  Chateau  de,  288. 
Pregny,  269. 

Printemps,  Society  du,  80. 
Promenthoux,  torrent  of,  288. 
"  Punica,"  quoted,  393. 
Purry,  David  de,  gift  to  Neu- 

chatel,  407. 
Pyremont,  200. 

Quebec,  compared  in  latitude 
to  Lausanne,  112. 

Racine,  263. 
Randa,  353. 


Ranz  des  Vaches,  467. 

Rapperswyl,  442. 

Rasse,  La,  overwhelmed,  189; 
procession  at,  191. 

Ravoire,  inscription  at,  346. 

Raynal,  Abbe,  91. 

Redcliffe,       Lady      Henrietta 
Stratford  de,  61. 

Redon,  Torrent  of,  193. 

Reich enbach,  Falls  of  the, 
459. 

Ren6,  Duke  of  Lorraine,  411. 

Reuss,  the,  423. 

Rheinfelden,  battle  of,  213. 

Rhentelin,  archers  of,  403. 

Rhine,  the,  47,  178,  192;  falls 
of,  435. 

Rhone,  the,  30,  45,  47;  cur- 
rent of,  109,  138,  141,  144, 
161;  les  troublons  du,  113; 
delta  of,  167;  la  correction 
du,  168;  valley  of,  186; 
blocked,  188,  191;  junction 
with  the  Arve,  199,  204; 
damming  of,  200;  La  Perte 
du,  201;  boulder  near,  222; 
view  of,  264;  guided  by 
Providence,  294;  described 
by  Juste  Olivier,  336-338; 
leap  from  the  Alps,  340; 
as  a  robber,  348;  view  of, 
351;  might  of,  351;  Les 
lies  du,  337;  colour  of,  377; 
crossed  by  Hannibal,  383- 
387;  Hannibal's  boats,  433; 
refuses  Pilate's  body,  448. 

Riddes,  348. 

Rigi-Kulm,  130,  132;  Goethe 
at,  308,  450. 

Rimpfischhorn,  the,  369. 

Rinegg,  origin  of,  287. 

Ripaille,  hermitage  of,  180. 

Riponne,  Place  de  la,  40. 

Ritz,  Raphael,  discovers  Ro- 
man remains,  344. 

Rivers,  names  of,  54. 

Rocca,  Albert  de,  marries 
Madame  de  Stael,  282. 


Index 


485 


Roche,  Jean,  prints  Calvin's 
"  Institution,"  253. 

Rocheinont,  Sieur  de,  pun- 
ished at  Geneva,  259. 

Rochers  Rouges,  273. 

Rock-falls,  185,  193,  291. 

Rodolphe,  Duke  of  Hapsburg, 
invades  Vaud,  123. 

Rogers,  Samuel,  on  Lake  Le- 
inan,  169;  on  Rousseau,  238; 
on  the  Hospice  of  St.  Ber- 
nard, 395-399. 

Rohan,  Duke  of,  buried  at 
Geneva,  213. 

Rolle,  289;  road  of  the,  444; 
waters  of,  312. 

Rome,  Gibbon's  journey  to, 
83. 

Ropraz,  Chateau  de,  48. 

Roquemaure,  382. 

Rosa,  Monte,  359. 

Rosenberg,  Lieutenant-Gen- 
eral, bivouacs  on  Alps,  422; 
drives  French,  423;  protects 
the  Russian  rear,  425;  mas- 
ter-stroke of,  429. 

Roset,  Michel,  reads  Ordre  du 
College  at  Geneva,  257. 

Rossberg,  309. 

Rosstock,  the,  425. 

Rothhorn,  the,  352,  361. 

Rothschild,  Chateau,  269. 

Rousseau,  Isaac,  character  of, 
235;  duel  with  Captain 
Goutier,  236. 

Rousseau,  Jean-Jacques,  in- 
fluence of,  52,  119;  memo- 
ries of,  121,  135;  mentioned 
in  Byron's  sonnet,  137;  criti- 
cized by  "  Dora  d'Istria," 
149;  "  Fraternity  cup,"  in- 
vented by,  183;  He  Rousseau, 
197;  lover  of  Nature,  222, 
228;  invitation  to  Switzer- 
land, 225;  description  of  sun- 
rise, 227,  466;  recipe  for 
mountain  -  climbing,  229; 
apostrophe  to  Lake  Leman, 


230;  farewell,  231;  silences 
Saint-Lambert,  232;  criti- 
cizes Voltaire,  233;  books 
burned,  234;  birth-place 
marked,  235;  education  of, 
236;  converted  to  Catholi- 
cism, 239;  writes  "  Narcisse," 
242;atVevey,  245  ;at  Geneva, 
245;  driven  out  of  Neuchatel, 
246;  describes  the  Escalade, 
266;  influence  of,  282;  track 
of,  462;  trips  with  Comte 
d'Escheray,  463. 

Rousses,  Lac  des,  299,  302, 
303. 

Route  des  Alpes,  La,  369. 

Rubli,  Le,  108;  supernatural 
beings  of,  221. 

Rumine,  Palais  de,  40,  42. 

Ruskin,  John,  describes  the 
Rhone,  199. 

Saanen,  fame  of,  455,  456. 

Saas-Fee,  368,  369. 

Saasgrund,  368. 

Saastal,  368. 

Saint-Barthelemy,  glemof,  186, 
188,  189. 

Saint-Bernard,  rocks  from,  65, 
382;  Rogers's  poem  on,  395- 
399. 

Sainte-Beuve,  Ch.  Aug.  de- 
scribes life  at  Coppet,  282. 

Saint-Cergue,  295,  306,  307. 

Saint-Gingolph,  154,  161,  162. 

Saint-Gingoux,  Byron  and 
Shelley  at,  140. 

Saint-Lambert,  silenced  by 
Rousseau,  232. 

Saint-Laurent,  Place  de,  view 
of  Lausanne  Cathedral  from, 
66. 

Saint-Leonard,  357. 

Saint-Maurice,  cure  of,  188; 
ancestry  of,  340,  382,  391. 

Saint  Michel  de  la  Cluse,  Ab- 
bey of,  371. 

Saint-Niklaus,  353. 


486 


Index 


Saint-Sulpice,  Grove  of,  95, 
96,  289. 

Saint-Theodore,  founds  Abbey 
of  Saint-Maurice,  341. 

Salanfe,  Herdsmen  of,  219. 

Sales,  Auguste  de,  describes 
view  of  Lake  Leman,  263. 

Sales,  Saint  Francis  de,  life  of, 
263. 

Saleve,  the,  261,  264. 

Sallanches,  Canons  of,  371, 
372. 

Samson,  438. 

Sand,  George,  at  Chillon,  135. 

San  Francisco,  vandals  of,  202. 

Saracens,  remains  of,  434. 

Sarine,  River,  60,  409;  de- 
scribed by  Byron,  455. 

Sarnen,  452. 

Sarraz,  La,  178. 

Satan,  works  of,  221. 

Saules,  Sentier  des,  203. 

Saulnier,  see  Sonier. 

Saussure,  Horace-Benedict  de, 
measures  Leman  tides,  110; 
sketch  of,  271,  272;  describes 
sunset,  276;  receives  visit 
from  Goethe,  277,  307; 
visits  Chamonix,  372. 

Sauvebelin,  forest  of,  105. 

Savoy,  mountains  of,  53;  con- 
quered by  Bern,  128;  peaks 
of,  156;  Forbes's  Travels  in, 
222;  seen  from  Geneva, 
255;  French  invade,  267; 
becomes  part  of  France, 
268;  in  haze,  289;  seen  by 
Goethe,  296;  Alps  of,  339; 
glaciers  of,  372. 

Saxon,  Castle  of,  348. 

Scala,  Princes  della,  205. 

Schachental,  the,  425,  430. 

Schadau,  Castle  of,  456. 

Scheffel,  Viktor  von,  434. 

Schiller,  Friedrich  von,  quoted, 
218;  compared  to  Goethe, 
263;  never  in  Switzerland, 
451. 


Schlegel,  August  W.  von,  at 
Coppet,  281;  describes  Ma- 
dame de  Stael,  284. 

Schneff er,  Counsellor,  letter  to, 
284. 

Schwarzhorn,  the,  352. 

Schwyz,  bandieres  of,  405, 
425,  428. 

Sclopis,  Count  Federigo,  arbi- 
trator of  Alabama  claims, 
248. 

Scott,  Sir  Walter,  never  in  the 
Alps,  173;  quotation  from 
"  Anne  of  Geierstein,"  173- 
176. 

Seattle,  compared  in  latitude 
to  Lausanne,  112. 

S6cheron,  Shelley  at,  138. 

Seduni,  hold  pass,  342. 

Seedorf,  425. 

Seiches,  les,  explanation  of, 
109,  110. 

Selli,  gorge  of,  353. 

Serfs,  French,  302. 

Setirg  Dorfli,  444. 

Servetus,  41;  burnt  at  stake, 
65,  246. 

Seti,  Gregorio,  describes  Ge- 
neva, 207;  on  St.  Peter's 
Church,  211,  213;  on  fish- 
ing, 214. 

Severy,  Salamon  de  Charriere 
de,  51. 

Severy,  Madame  de,  letters  of, 
182;  treated  by  Dr.  Tissot, 
313. 

Sheffield,  Lord,  84,  86.-  re- 
ceives letter  from  Gibbon, 
267. 

Shelley,  Percy  Bysshe,  at  Chil- 
lon, 135;  at  Secheron,  138; 
poem  "  Mont  Blanc  "  dis- 
cussed, 328-336. 

Siebenthal,  405. 

Sierre,  357,  352. 

Signal,  the  (Lausanne),  44, 
53,  317. 

Silberhorn,  the,  108. 


Index 


487 


Silius  Italicus,  poem  on  Han- 
nibal, 393-394. 

Sils,   -444. 

Simmonthal,  456. 

biwplon,  tunnel  of,  45,  354. 

Pion,  Bishop  of,  exorcises  a 
rock-fall,  188. 

Sion,  three-legged  horse  of, 
217;  Goethe  at,  308;  castles 
at,  346. 

Soleure,  78,  405;  trophy  at, 
407. 

Solothurn,  mountains  of,  300, 
305;    martyrdoms  at,  341. 

Sonchaud,  155. 

Sonchaux,  Mont,  122. 

Sonier,  Antoine,  directs 
"  Grande  Eschole  "  at  Ge- 
neva, 250;  heckled  by  the 
Council,  251. 

Spliigen  Pass,  430. 

Spyri,  Johanna,  468. 

Stael,  Madame  de,  mentioned 
in     Byron's     sonnet,     137 
mentioned  by  Rogers,  169 
cares  little  for  scenery,  222 
at  Coppet,  280-286. 

Stael-Holstein,  Baron  de,  mar- 
ries Mile.  Necker,  281. 

Stalden,  352,  368. 

Stamepfli,  Jacob,  arbitrator  of 
Geneva  claims,  248. 

Staubbach,  the,  200,  452:  de- 
scribed by  Byron,  456,  457. 

Stockalper,  Kaspar,  builds  ca- 
nal, 166. 

Stockhorn,  the,  108. 

Stoves,  tiled,  8,  39. 

Strassbourg,  mourning  in,  417. 

Sudois,  Le,  wind  on  Lake  Le- 
man,  195. 

Sugana,  Val,  444. 

Sully,  Due  de,  scheme  of, 
213. 

Suv6rof,  Field-Marshal,  pas- 
sage of  the  Alps,  420-430. 

Swiss,  characteristics  of  the, 
47;  freedom  of,  167. 


Symonds,     John     Addington, 
444. 

Talent,  the  Paver,  401. 
Tanay,  lake  of,  163. 
"  Tancrede,"  played  at  Cop- 
pet,  283. 
Tartarin  de  Tarascon,  30;  at 

Chillon,  128,  129. 
Tasch,  village  of,  353. 
Taschhorn,  the,  352. 
Taugwalder,  guides,  355. 
Taurus,  Mont,  fall  of,  187. 
Tavernier,  J.  Baptiste,  builds 

chateau  at  Aubonne,  289;  on 

Switzerland,  223,  224. 
Tell,  William,  a  myth,  129, 451. 
Tendre,  Mont,  49,  178. 
Teneviere,  described,  161. 
Tennyson,  Alfred,  quoted,  117; 

on  Monte  Rosa,  367. 
Territe,  121. 
Tete    Noire,    described,    370, 

371. 
Tevent,  Hill  of,  352. 
Thebaean  Legion,  340,  341. 
Theodorus,  Bishop,  347. 
Thdodule    glacier,    359;    pass, 

347. 
Thiele  River,  401. 
Thonon,  wines  of,  182;  beauty 

of,  183. 
Thun,  460. 

Thun,  Lake  of,  413,  456. 
Ticknor,   George,   at  Coppet, 

281. 
Tinere,  torrent  of,  122. 
Tines,  Passage  des,  375. 
Tissot,  Dr.  Auguste,  91 ;  sketch 

of,  311-321;   house  of,  464. 
Toepfer,   R.,    novels   of,   415, 

450. 
Toggenburg,     Count     Krafto 

von,  436. 
Tolstoi,  Count  L.  N.,  340,  418. 
Totensee,  der,  461. 
Tougues,  Port  de,  195. 
Tourbillon,  Chateau  de,  348. 


488 


Index 


Trebbia,  battle  of  the,  421. 

Trilex,  295. 

Treytorrens,  M.  de,  lover  of 
music,  244. 

Trieut,  les  Gorges  du,  307,  370. 

Trifthorn,  the,  352. 

Tripho'n,  Saint,  once  an  island, 
104. 

Trois  Arbres,  Les,  expedition 
to,  264. 

Troublons  du  Rh6ne,  les,  113. 

Triimmelbach,  200. 

Tunnels,  354. 

Turin,  Rousseau  at,  242. 

Turner,  J.  F.  T.,  depicts  Swit- 
zerland, 168. 

Tu-rrctini,  engineer  of  Geneva, 
199. 

Tyndall,  Professor,  conquers 
the  Weisshorn,  353-356. 

Typhoid  fever  at  Geneva,  113. 

Tyrol,  trip  to  the,  443. 

Ufenau,  Island  of,  442. 
Urserental,  374. 
Unterwald,  405. 
Urner  Loch,  423,  462. 
Ury,  trumpet  of,  406. 
Usteri,  Leonard,  poem  by,  230. 

Valais,  giants  of  le,  361. 

Valeria,  Castle  of,  349. 

Vapours,  origin  of,  230. 

Vaud,  Pays  de,  68;  aristoc- 
racy of,  71;  women  of,  152; 
landscapes  of,  230;  meaning 
of,  287;  under  Bern,  291. 

Vaumarcus,  406. 

Venezuela,  16,  17. 

Venice,  beginnings  of,  17. 

Venoge,  the  River,  course  of, 
178. 

Veraye,  torrent  of,  122. 

Vernex,  116,  118,  121;  gulf  of, 
157. 

Veragri,  hold  pass,  342. 

Vergil,  393. 

Vernes,  sermon  of  Pastor,  467. 


Vernet,  Jacob,  writes  Rous- 
seau, 234. 

Verraux,  Rochers  de,  105. 

Versonnex,  Francois  de,  en- 
dows High  School  at  Ge- 
neva, 249. 

Vevey,  103,  119;  misfortunes 
of,  120;  possesses  Chillon, 
128;  mentioned  by  Rogers, 
169;  from  La  Dole,  304, 
344. 

Vevey-La-Tour,  120. 

Veveyse,  torrent  of,  123. 

Veytaux,  155,  156,  157. 

Victor  Am£d£e  of  Savoy,  181. 

Victor,  Priory  of  Saint,  126. 

Vienna,  Pilate  at,  448. 

Vienne,  382. 

Views,  mountain,  44,  53. 

Vignerons,  Abbaye  des,  467. 

Villeneuve,  147,  161,  168,  336. 

Villette,  119. 

Vinet,  Alexandre  Rodolphe, 
41,  42. 

Viollet-le-Duc,  42. 

Viret,  Pierre,  40;  wins  de- 
bate, 64. 

Viso  Alps,  361. 

Visp,  the,  350,  352,  353. 

Voirons,  the,  view  from,  261. 

Voltaire,  49,  85,  119;  men- 
tioned in  Byron's  sonnet, 
137,  197;  neglects  view, 
222;  criticized  by  Rousseau, 
233;  at  Ferney,  282;  ex- 
ample of,  460;  theatrical 
ventures  of,  463;  letters 
from,  464;  dress  of,  465; 
prayer  of,  466;  mocks  Pas- 
tor Vernes,  467. 

Vouvry,   166. 

Vuache,  Mont,  305. 

Vuarnen,  Chateau  de,  295. 

Vully,  403. 

Waalwyck,  Madame  de,  gives 

a  concert,  94. 
Wahlenstadt,  287. 


Index 


489 


Waite,  Morrison,  at  Geneva, 
248. 

Waldmann,  improves  Cathe- 
dral of  Zurich,  439. 

Walker,  Miss  Lucy,  climbs 
Matterhorp,  356. 

Walla,  Count,  123. 

Wallensee,  427. 

Wallisi,  hold  the  Dranse,  342; 
put  to  flight,  343. 

Warens,  Madame  de,  72;  robs 
her  husband,  239;  gets 
money  from  Rousseau,  245, 
462. 

War  Museum  at  Lucerne,  446. 

Waserus,  Gaspar,  431. 

Washington,  352. 

Weather  proverbs,  102. 

Weisshorn,  view  of  the,  351, 
361. 

Welch,  origin  of,  287. 

Wengern  Mountain,  457. 

Werner,  Zacharias,  at  Coppet, 
284;  letter  to  Counsellor 
Schneffer,  284,  285;  charac- 
teristics of,  285. 

Wetter  horn,  457. 

Wetzikon,  Elizabeth  von,  437. 

Wetzweil,  221. 

Weyrother,  Colonel,  a  poor 
guide,  422. 

Whymper,  Edward,  climbs  the 
Matterhorn,  355. 


Winterthlir,  39. 
Wordsworth,  quoted,  3. 
Wiirtemburg,  Duchess  of,  ap- 
pears at  a  picnic,  95. 

Yolande,  Duchess  of  Savoy,  62. 
Yverdon,  35,  78,  401, 
Yvoire,  Point  d',  193;   beauty 
of,  194,  195. 

Zahn,  Ernst,  421. 

Zahringen,  Berthold  V,  of,  41. 

Zahringen,  Conrad,  Duke  of, 
402. 

Zahringen-Kyburg,  Castle  of, 
460. 

"  Zaire,"  464;  played  at  Cop- 
pet,  283. 

Zauchet,  giant  ox  of,  217. 

Zeppelin  dirigible,  45. 

Zermatt,  blue-haired  donkey 
of,  217;   views  from,  354. 

Zermettje,  chalets  of,  353. 

Zug,  Lake  of,  309. 

Zwingli,  435,  442. 

Zurich,  politics  in,  21,  23,  78; 
receives  appeal  from  Ge- 
neva, 267;  martyrdoms  at, 
341;  bandieres  of,  404; 
visit  to,  414-420;  431-443; 
battle  of,  419,  440. 

Zurich,  Lake  of,  150;  colour  of, 
441. 


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